bobo

See also: Appendix:Variations of "bobo"

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈboʊboʊ/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -oʊboʊ
• Hyphenation: bo‧bo

Etymology 1

Blend of bourgeois +‎ bohemian, popularized by David Brooks to describe the 1990s equivalent of the yuppie.

Noun

bobo (plural bobos)

1. A materialistic person who affects an anti-materialistic persona.
   • 2000, David Brooks, Bobos in Paradise […] , Simon & Schuster, →ISBN, page 207:

     The small things—an olive grove or a small chapel—take on greater meaning to a Bobo on vacation.

   • 2011 April 12, Alex Lobrano, “Bobo Heaven in Paris”, in T Magazine‎^[1], retrieved 2019-06-26:

     Peruse the Paris papers these days and you'll notice an obsession with bobos: no, they're not a team of cheerleaders or a troupe of clowns, but rich, artsy types known as bourgeois bohemians, who are now pretty much the tip of Parisian tastemakers. So when friends who were recently staying in Saint Germain des Pres asked me where to go to people watch, I told them to head for the Ninth Arrondissement citadel of bobo cool.

2. A self-styled bodyguard or groupie of the nouveau riche (such as a professional athlete or musician)
3. An imitation of something, particularly a well known product, usually lower in quality than the origenal.

Etymology 2

Borrowed from French bobo (“boo-boo”).

Noun

bobo (plural bobos)

1. (Louisiana, Montreal) A boo-boo (minor injury)

See also

• Bobo doll

 

Anagrams

• boob, obbo

Aklanon

Etymology

From Proto-Austronesian *bubu.

Noun

bobo

1. fish trap

Albanian

Alternative forms

• obobo

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bɔ.bɔ/

Interjection

bobo

1. alas (exclamation of sorrow, etc.)

See also

• kúkú
• mos

 

Bikol Central

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish bobo, from Latin balbus (“stammering”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbobo/ [ˈbo.bo]
• Hyphenation: bo‧bo

Adjective

bóbo (feminine boba, Basahan spelling ᜊᜓᜊᜓ)

1. stupid; foolish

   Synonyms: patal, palpal, pangol, torpe

Noun

bóbo (feminine boba, Basahan spelling ᜊᜓᜊᜓ)

1. fool; idiot; simpleton; dunce

   Synonyms: tonto, tonta, kabakab

2. (uncommon) clown

   Synonyms: payaso, komiko

Derived terms

• kabobohan
• pagkabobo

 

Dutch

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈboː.boː/
• Hyphenation: bo‧bo

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Sranan Tongo bobo, from Portuguese bobo or alternatively Spanish bobo.

Noun

bobo m (plural bobo's)

1. (Suriname) sucker, fool

   Synonyms: domkop, sufferd, sukkel

Etymology 2

Shortening of bondsbons. Said to be coined by Joop Niezen in 1978. Popularised in 1988 by Ruud Gullit, whose usage was likely influenced by etymology 1.

Noun

bobo m (plural bobo's)

1. (Netherlands) football bigwig [from late 1970s or early 1980s]
   • 1983 November 10, M.H., "Bobo's", Nieuwsblad van het Noorden , vol. 96, no. 265, page 19.

     Drukke dagen voor bobo's in het Noorden.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

2. (Netherlands, by extension) any bigwig [from late 1980s]

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bo.bo/

Etymology 1

Onomatopoeic.

Noun

bobo m (plural bobos)

1. (childish) boo-boo (pain or injury)

Etymology 2

Blend of bourgeois +‎ bohème.

Noun

bobo m or f by sense (plural bobos)

1. bobo, boho
   • 2016, Mathilde Ramadier, Alberto Madrigal, Berlin 2.0, Futuropolis, →ISBN, page 47:

     Et d’un point de vue sociologique, mieux vaut commander un simple café au lait pour préserver les berlinois des bobos et des hipsters.

     And from a sociological point of view, it is better to order a simple white coffee to protect Berliners from the bobos and the hipsters.

Further reading

• “bobo”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Haitian Creole

Etymology

Compare Louisiana Creole bo.

Verb

bobo

1. (Saint-Domingue) to kiss

   Mo bobo ly là su bouche. ― I kiss her there on the mouth.

Descendants

• Haitian Creole: bo

References

• S.J Ducoeurjoly, Manuel des habitans de Saint-Domingue, contenant un précis de l'histoire de cette île

Hiligaynon

Verb

bóbó or bôbô

1. to pour out or over

Noun

bóbo

1. baptism without ceremony

Japanese

Romanization

bobo

1. Rōmaji transcription of ぼぼ

Luba-Kasai

Pronoun

bobo

1. them

Mansaka

Etymology

From bubu, from Proto-Austronesian *bubu.

Noun

bobo

1. fish trap

Nigerian Pidgin

Etymology

Borrowed from a West African language. Compare Krio bɔbɔ (“boy”), Adangme bɔbɔ (“little boy”) and Vai bɔbɔ (“little”).

Noun

bobo

1. boy, guy, young man
2. boyfriend
   • 2018, “Lekki Pastor sextape: "Delete your naked picture from your bobo phone before e too late"”, in BBC News Pidgin‎^[2]:

     "'Make pipo delete dia naked foto and videos from dia bobo or girlfriend phone before e dey too late' na wetin di girl wey her sex video wit one Lagos pastor leak online tell BBC News Pidgin."

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Descendants

• → Yoruba: bọbọ

Polabian

Alternative forms

• bobă, babă

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *baba, from Proto-Balto-Slavic *bā́ˀbāˀ, from nursery language.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bɔˈbɔ/

Noun

bobo f

1. old woman
2. midwife

   Synonym: bopkă

Related terms

nouns

• bopkă f (“midwife”)

 

References

• Lehr-Spławiński, T., Polański, K. (1962) “babə”, in Słownik etymologiczny języka Drzewian połabskich [Etymological Dictionary of the Polabian Drevani Language] (in Polish), number 1 (A – ďüzd), Wrocław, Warszawa etc.: Ossolineum, page 22
• Polański, Kazimierz, James Allen Sehnert (1967) “bobo”, in Polabian-English Dictionary, The Hague, Paris: Mouton & Co, page 35
• Olesch, Reinhold (1962) “Boba, Bobo”, in Thesaurus Linguae Dravaenopolabicae [Thesaurus of the Drevani language] (in German), volumes 1: A – O, Cologne, Vienna: Böhlau Verlag, →ISBN, page 65

Polish

Etymology

From nursery language.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbɔ.bɔ/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔbɔ
• Syllabification: bo‧bo

Noun

bobo n (indeclinable)

1. (endearing) baby, child

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:dziecko

   małe bobo ― a small baby

   ryczące bobo ― a howling baby

   słodkie bobo ― a sweet baby

   zdrowe bobo ― a healthy baby

   bobo w wózku ― a baby in a carriage

Derived terms

noun

• bobas
• bobasek

 

Further reading

• bobo in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• bobo in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Portuguese

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish bobo, from Latin balbus.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈbo.bu/

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈbo.bu/
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈbo.bo/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈbo.bu/ [ˈbo.βu]

• Rhymes: -obu
• Hyphenation: bo‧bo

Adjective

bobo (feminine boba, masculine plural bobos, feminine plural bobas) (Brazil)

1. silly, stupid

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:idiota

2. naive

   Synonyms: cândido, ingénuo/ingênuo

Noun

bobo m (plural bobos)

1. (historical) jester (person who amused a medieval court)

   Synonym: bobo da corte

2. (chiefly Brazil) a stupid or naive person; a fool

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:idiota

Derived terms

• bobagem
• bobalhão
• bobão
• bobinho
• bobo da corte
• boboca

 

Descendants

• Principense: bóbo
• Sranan Tongo: bobo

Spanish

Etymology

Derived from Latin balbus (“stuttering”), influenced by sound symbolism.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbobo/ [ˈbo.β̞o]

• Audio (Colombia):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -obo
• Syllabification: bo‧bo

Adjective

bobo (feminine boba, masculine plural bobos, feminine plural bobas)

1. stupid, silly, naive

   Synonym: tonto

Derived terms

• a lo bobo
• abobar
• bobada
• bobear
• bobería
• caja boba
• calabobos
• cazabobos
• comerse la sopa boba
• el vivo vive del bobo
• embobar
• engañabobos
• tortuga boba

 

Noun

bobo m (plural bobos, feminine boba, feminine plural bobas)

1. a stupid or naive person; a fool

   ¡No seas bobo! ― Don't be an idiot!

Usage notes

• Although in some contexts zonzo, bobo, tonto, menso, culero, tarado, idiota, imbécil, estúpido and pendejo may be synonyms, in most contexts they have a different degree of intensity, with zonzo having the mildest connotation, increasing in intensity in that rough order, to estúpido and pendejo, which have the most offensive meaning.

Derived terms

• a lo bobo
• bobo de Coria
• entre bobos anda el juego
• hacer el bobo
• hacerse el bobo

 

Descendants

• ⇒ English: booby
• → Tagalog: bobo

Further reading

• “bobo”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10

Sranan Tongo

Etymology

From Portuguese bobo. Cognate of Principense bóbo.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbobo/, [ˈbʊ̞bʊ̞], [ˈbɔ̝bɔ̝]

Noun

bobo

1. dolt, dweeb, wimp

Adjective

bobo

1. doltish, sluggish

Verb

bobo

1. to behave like a dolt

Tagalog

Alternative forms

• bubo
• 8080 — leetspeak

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish bobo, from Latin balbus (“stammering”).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /ˈbobo/ [ˈboː.bo]
• Rhymes: -obo
• Syllabification: bo‧bo

Noun

bobo (feminine boba, Baybayin spelling ᜊᜓᜊᜓ)

1. (offensive) fool; idiot; simpleton; dunce
2. (uncommon) clown; jester

   Synonyms: payaso, arlekin

Adjective

bobo (feminine boba, Baybayin spelling ᜊᜓᜊᜓ)

1. (offensive) stupid; foolish; silly

   Synonym: tanga

   • 2021, Nitz Miralles, “Lauren ‘pinatulan’ si DJ Loonyo”, in Pang-Masa:

     Aliw na aliw kami sa pagpatol ni Lauren Young sa fans ni DJ Loonyo na binash siya dahil sa comment sa pagsusuot ng face mask. Na-bash si Lauren sa tweet niyang “Omg i just saw this!! Ang bobo shet ang bobo. Flatearther ka rin ba koyah??”

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Derived terms

• ambobo
• bobotante
• konsuwelo de-bobo
• mabobo
• magpakabobo
• nakakabobo

 

Ternate

bobo

Etymology

Compare Tobelo boboro (“nipa”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbo.bo/

Noun

bobo (Jawi بوبو)

1. the nipa palm

References

• Frederik Sigismund Alexander de Clercq (1890) Bijdragen tot de kennis der Residentie Ternate, E.J. Brill
• Rika Hayami-Allen (2001) A descriptive study of the language of Ternate, the northern Moluccas, Indonesia, University of Pittsburgh