bob

See also: Bob, BOB, bób, and böb

English

Pronunciation

(Received Pronunciation) enPR: bŏb, IPA^(key): /bɒb/
Audio (AU) (file)
Rhymes: -ɒb
(US) enPR: bäb, IPA^(key): /bɑb/
Audio (US) (file)
Rhymes: -ɑːb

Etymology 1

From Middle English bobben (“to strike, beat, shake, jog”), of uncertain origin. Compare Scots bob (“to mark, dance with a bobbing motion”), Icelandic boppa (“to wave up and down”), Swedish bobba (“to bob”), Dutch dobberen ("bobbing").

Verb

bob (third-person singular simple present bobs, present participle bobbing, simple past and past participle bobbed)

(intransitive) To move gently and vertically, in either a single motion or repeatedly up and down, at or near the surface of a body of water, or similar medium.
The cork bobbed gently in the calm water.
The ball, which we had thought lost, suddenly bobbed up out of the water.
The flowers were bobbing in the wind.
(transitive) To move (something) as though it were bobbing in water.
I bobbed my head underwater and saw the goldfish.
bob one's head (= to nod)
To curtsy.
To strike with a quick, light blow; to tap.
- 1533, Thomas Elyot, The Book of the Governor
  He was suddenly bobbed on the face by the servants.
- c. 1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, The Famous Historie of Troylus and Cresseid. […] (First Quarto), London: […] G[eorge] Eld for R[ichard] Bonian and H[enry] Walley, […], published 1609, OCLC 951696502, [Act II, scene i]:
  Lo, lo, lo, lo, what modicums of wit he vtters, his euaſions haue ears thus long. I haue bobed his braine more then he has beate my bones.

Derived terms

apple bobbing
bobber
bob-cherry
bob-job
bob up

Translations

move vertically at surface of water

Bulgarian: подскачам (bg) (podskačam), клатя се (klatja se)
Dutch: deinen (nl), dobberen (nl)
French: ballotter (fr)
Italian: ondeggiare (it), dondolare (it), traballare (it), spuntare fuori
Maori: mārangaranga
Russian: кача́ться (ru) impf (kačátʹsja), выны́ривать (ru) impf (vynýrivatʹ), вы́нырнуть (ru) pf (výnyrnutʹ)
Swedish: guppa (sv)

move (something) as though it were bobbing in water

Italian: sballottare
Russian: подпры́гивать (ru) impf (podprýgivatʹ), подпры́гнуть (ru) pf (podprýgnutʹ), подска́кивать (ru) impf (podskákivatʹ), подскочи́ть (ru) pf (podskočítʹ)

Noun

bob (plural bobs)

A bobbing motion; a quick up and down movement.
a bob of the head
A curtsy.
A bobber (buoyant fishing device).
- 1613, John Dennys, The Secrets of Angling
  Or yellow bobs turn'd up before the plough / Are chiefest baits, with cork and lead enough.
Any of various hesperiid butterflies.

Derived terms

plumb bob

Translations

bobbing motion

Bulgarian: подскачане (bg) n (podskačane)
Italian: sballottio m
Russian: подска́кивание (ru) n (podskákivanije), подпры́гивание (ru) n (podprýgivanije)

bobber — see float

curtsey — see curtsey

Etymology 2

From Middle English bobbe (“a cluster (of fruit); a twig with its leaves, a spray”).

Noun

bob (plural bobs)

A bob haircut.
Any round object attached loosely to a flexible line, a rod, a body part etc., so that it may swing when hanging from it.
- 1773, Oliver Goldsmith, She Stoops to Conquer
  Ecod! I have got them. Here they are. My cousin Con's necklaces, bobs and all.
The dangling mass of a pendulum or plumb line.
The docked tail of a horse.
A short line ending a stanza of a poem.
The short runner of a sled.
A bobsleigh.
A small wheel, made of leather, with rounded edges, used in polishing spoons, etc.
A working beam in a steam engine.
A particular style of ringing changes on bells.
A blow; a shake or jog; a rap, as with the fist.
(obsolete) A knot or short curl of hair; also, a bob wig.
- 1737, William Shenstone, The Extent of Cookery
  A plain brown bob he wore.
(obsolete) The refrain of a song.
- 1692, Roger L’Estrange, “ (please specify the fable number.) (please specify the name of the fable.)”, in Fables, of Æsop and Other Eminent Mythologists: […], London: […] R[ichard] Sare, […], OCLC 228727523:
  To Bed, to Bed, will be the Bob of the Song.
(obsolete) A jeer; a sharp jest or taunt.
- c. 1598–1600 (date written), William Shakespeare, “As You Like It”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act II, scene vii], line 53-55:
  He that a fool doth very wisely hit,
  Doth very foolishly, although he smart,
  Not to seem senseless of the bob.

Derived terms

bits and bobs
bobcat
bob jerom
bobweight
bob wig
dry bob
Dutch bob
earbob
gay bob
light bob
Pixie-bob
staggering bob
starry bob
wet bob

Translations

a bob haircut

Bulgarian: конска опашка
German: Bubikopf (de) m
Russian: карэ́ n (karɛ́)

the dangling mass of a pendulum or plumb line

Bulgarian: топка (на махало), тежест (на отвес), опашка (на хвърчило), висулка, поплавък
French: poids (fr) m, plomb (fr) m
Russian: отве́с (ru) m (otvés)

the docked tail of a horse

Bulgarian: подрязана опашка f (podrjazana opaška)
Russian: купи́рованный хвост m (kupírovannyj xvost)

a short line ending a stanza

Bulgarian: припев (bg) m (pripev)
Russian: припе́в (ru) m (pripév), рефре́н (ru) m (refrén)

the short runner of a sled

Russian: по́лоз (ru) m (póloz)

Verb

bob (third-person singular simple present bobs, present participle bobbing, simple past and past participle bobbed)

(transitive) To cut (hair) into a bob haircut.
I got my hair bobbed. How do you like it?
(transitive) To shorten by cutting; to dock; to crop.
To bobsleigh.

Translations

cut into a bob haircut

Bulgarian: подстригвам късо (podstrigvam kǎso)

Etymology 3

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

bob (plural bob)

(Kenya, slang; UK and Australia, historical, dated) A shilling.
- 1922 February, James Joyce, “[Episode 12: The Cyclops]”, in Ulysses, Paris: Shakespeare and Company, […], OCLC 560090630:
  One of the bottlenosed fraternity it was went by the name of James Wought alias Saphiro alias Spark and Spiro, put an ad in the papers saying he'd give a passage to Canada for twenty bob.
- 1933 January 9, George Orwell [pseudonym; Eric Arthur Blair], chapter 29, in Down and Out in Paris and London, London: Victor Gollancz […], OCLC 2603818, pages 214–215:
  “’Ere y'are, the best rig-out you ever ’ad. A tosheroon [half a crown]^[sic] for the coat, two ’ogs for the trousers, one and a tanner for the boots, and a ’og for the cap and scarf. That's seven bob.”
- 1960, P. G. Wodehouse, Jeeves in the Offing, chapter XVII
  […] there was a sound of barking and a great hefty dog of the Hound of the Baskervilles type came galloping at me, obviously intent on mayhem, [... and] I was just commending my soul to God and thinking that this was where my new flannel trousers got about thirty bobs' worth of value bitten out of them […]
(Australia, dated slang) A 10-cent coin.
(slang) An unspecified amount of money.
- Spot me a few bob, Robert.
I could have saved myself a few bob buying it somewhere else.

Usage notes

The use of bob for shilling is dated slang in the UK and Australia, since decimalisation. In East African countries where the currency is the shilling, it is current usage, and not considered slang. OED gives first usage as 1789.
The use of bob to describe a 10-cent coin is derived from the fact that it was of equal worth to a shilling during decimalisation, however since then, the term has slowly dropped out of usage and is seldom used today.

Derived terms

a bob each way
bent as a nine-bob note
bent as a two bob
bob-a-job
six bob a day tourist
two bob
two-bob bit
two bob each way

Noun

bob (plural bobs)

Abbreviation of shishkabob.

Etymology 5

blitter object

Noun

bob (plural bobs)

(computer graphics, demoscene) A graphical element, resembling a hardware sprite, that can be blitted around the screen in large numbers.
- 1986, Eugene P Mortimore, Amiga programmer's handbook, Volumes 1-2:
  The bob list determines the drawing priority...
- 1995, "John Girvin", Blitting bobs (on Internet newsgroup comp.sys.amiga.programmer)
  IMHO, youd ^[sic] be better doing other things with the CPU and letting the blitter draw bobs, esp on a machine with fast ram.
- 2002, "demoeffects", Demotized 0.0.1 - A collection of demo effects from the early days of the demo scene. (on Internet newsgroup fm.announce)
  Changes: This release adds 2 new effects (bobs and unlimited bobs), has a GFX directory for sharing graphics, adds utility functions to the common code...

Derived terms

shadebob

Anagrams

obb

Dutch

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /bɔp/
Audio (file)
Hyphenation: bob
Rhymes: -ɔp
Homophone: Bob

Etymology 1

From bewust onbeschonken bestuurder (“deliberately unintoxicated driver”).

Noun

bob m (plural bobs, diminutive bobje n)

designated driver

Etymology 2

Borrowed from English bob.

Noun

bob f or m (plural bobs)

(winter sports) bob, bobsleigh
Synonym: bobslee

French

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /bɔb/
Audio (file)

Etymology 1

From the English personal name Bob, used to designate light infantrymen, and probably introduced into French during the First World War.

Noun

bob m (plural bobs)

bucket hat, fishing hat

Etymology 2

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

bob m (plural bobs)

(Belgium) designated driver, DD

Hungarian

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [ˈbob]
Hyphenation: bob
Rhymes: -ob

Noun

bob (plural bobok)

bobsleigh
a type of sled (a flat-bottomed concave plastic sled with no runners, equipped with brakes)
a car used on the track of an alpine slide or bobsled rollercoaster (mountain coaster)

Declension

Inflection (stem in -o-, back harmony)
	singular	plural
nominative	bob	bobok
accusative	bobot	bobokat
dative	bobnak	boboknak
instrumental	bobbal	bobokkal
causal-final	bobért	bobokért
translative	bobbá	bobokká
terminative	bobig	bobokig
essive-formal	bobként	bobokként
essive-modal	—	—
inessive	bobban	bobokban
superessive	bobon	bobokon
adessive	bobnál	boboknál
illative	bobba	bobokba
sublative	bobra	bobokra
allative	bobhoz	bobokhoz
elative	bobból	bobokból
delative	bobról	bobokról
ablative	bobtól	boboktól
non-attributive possessive - singular	bobé	boboké
non-attributive possessive - plural	bobéi	bobokéi

Possessive forms of bob
possessor	single possession	multiple possessions
1st person sing.	bobom	bobjaim
2nd person sing.	bobod	bobjaid
3rd person sing.	bobja	bobjai
1st person plural	bobunk	bobjaink
2nd person plural	bobotok	bobjaitok
3rd person plural	bobjuk	bobjaik

Synonyms

szánkó

Derived terms

bobos

Irish

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

bob m (genitive singular bob, nominative plural bobanna)

(hair) bob
1. fringe (of hair over forehead)
2. bob(tail)
  Synonym: bob eireabaill

Derived terms

bob leicinn (“hair parted to one side”)
bob scoilte (“parting”) (in hair)

Noun

bob m (genitive singular bob, nominative plural bobanna)

stump, target (in games)

Declension

Declension of bob

Fourth declension

Bare forms

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	bob	bobanna
Vocative	a bhob	a bhobanna
Genitive	bob	bobanna
Dative	bob	bobanna

Forms with the definite article

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	an bob	na bobanna
Genitive	an bhob	na mbobanna
Dative	leis an mbob don bhob	leis na bobanna

Derived terms

bob a bhualadh ar dhuine (“to play a trick on someone”)

Mutation

Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Eclipsis
bob	bhob	mbob
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

References

Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977), “bob”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
Entries containing “bob” in English-Irish Dictionary, An Gúm, 1959, by Tomás de Bhaldraithe.
Entries containing “bob” in New English-Irish Dictionary by Foras na Gaeilge.

Italian

Etymology

Pseudo-anglicism, a clipping of English bobsled.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈbɔb/
Rhymes: -ɔb
Hyphenation: bòb

Noun

bob m (invariable)

bobsleigh / bobsled

Related terms

bobbista

Lower Sorbian

bob

Etymology

From Proto-Slavic *bobъ, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰabʰ-. Cognate with Upper Sorbian bob, Polish bób, Czech bob, Russian боб (bob), Serbo-Croatian bȍb.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /bɔp/

Noun

bob m

(uncountable) bean plant
beanfield

Declension

Declension of bob

	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	bob	boba	boby
Genitive	boba	bobowu	bobow
Dative	boboju	boboma	bobam
Accusative	bob	boba	boby
Instrumental	bobom	boboma	bobami
Locative	bobje	boboma	bobach

Derived terms

bobowka f (“an individual bean seed”)

Portuguese

Alternative forms

bobe
bóbi

Pronunciation

(Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈbɔ.bi/

Noun

bob m (plural bobes)

curler (small cylindrical tube)
hair roller, hair curler

Romanian

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Serbo-Croatian bȍb.

Noun

bob n (plural boabe)

A type of bean, field bean, horse bean, broad bean
a grain
Any seed, pit, stone, berry.

Declension

Declension of bob

	singular		plural
	indefinite articulation	definite articulation	indefinite articulation	definite articulation
nominative/accusative	(un) bob	bobul	(niște) boabe	boabele
genitive/dative	(unui) bob	bobului	(unor) boabe	boabelor
vocative	bobule		boabelor

Related terms

boabă

Etymology 2

Borrowed from English bobsleigh.

Noun

bob n (plural boburi)

bobsleigh

Declension

Declension of bob

	singular		plural
	indefinite articulation	definite articulation	indefinite articulation	definite articulation
nominative/accusative	(un) bob	bobul	(niște) boburi	boburile
genitive/dative	(unui) bob	bobului	(unor) boburi	boburilor
vocative	bobule		boburilor

Scots

Etymology 1

From Middle English bobbe (“cluster of fruit; spray of leaves”).[1]

Noun

bob (plural bobs)

a bunch, a cluster (of things)
(obsolete) a nosegay, bunch of flowers
a knot; a bunch of ribbon
a patch of rich grass

Verb

bob (third-person singular simple present bobs, present participle bobbin, simple past bobbit, past participle bobbit)

(of grass) to grow richly in patches

Etymology 2

Uncertain. Possibly onomatopoeic expressing quick movement,[2] but compare English bob, above.[3]

Noun

bob (plural bobs)

a dance

Verb

bob (third-person singular simple present bobs, present participle bobbin, simple past bobbit, past participle bobbit)

to dance with up-and-down movement
Synonym: bab

Etymology 3

Unknown. Possibly from Middle English bobben (“to strike”) or Old French bober, baubir (“to mock, deride”).[4]

Noun

bob (plural bobs)

a target, a mark to aim at
a taunt

References

“bob, n.¹” in the Dictionary of the Scots Language, Edinburgh: Scottish Language Dictionaries.
“bob, n.²” in the Dictionary of the Scots Language, Edinburgh: Scottish Language Dictionaries.
“bab, v.” in the Dictionary of the Scots Language, Edinburgh: Scottish Language Dictionaries.
“bob, n.³” in the Dictionary of the Scots Language, Edinburgh: Scottish Language Dictionaries.

Serbo-Croatian

Etymology 1

From Proto-Slavic *bobъ.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /bôb/

Noun

bȍb m (Cyrillic spelling бо̏б)

broad bean
horse bean

Declension

Declension of bob

	singular	plural
nominative	bob	bobovi
genitive	boba	bobova
dative	bobu	bobovima
accusative	bob	bobove
vocative	bobe	bobovi
locative	bobu	bobovima
instrumental	bobom	bobovima

Etymology 2

From English bob.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /bôb/

Noun

bȍb m (Cyrillic spelling бо̏б)

bobsled

Declension

Declension of bob

	singular	plural
nominative	bȍb	bòbovi
genitive	boba	bobova
dative	bobu	bobovima
accusative	bob	bobove
vocative	bobe	bobovi
locative	bobu	bobovima
instrumental	bobom	bobovima

Sicilian

Noun

bob m

bobsleigh / bobsled

Spanish

Noun

bob m (plural bobs)

bob, bob haircut (hairstyle)

Welsh

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /boːb/

Adjective

bob

Soft mutation of pob.

Mutation

Welsh mutation
radical	soft	nasal	aspirate
pob	bob	mhob	phob
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

[1] “bob, n.¹” in the Dictionary of the Scots Language, Edinburgh: Scottish Language Dictionaries.

[2] “bob, n.²” in the Dictionary of the Scots Language, Edinburgh: Scottish Language Dictionaries.

[3] “bab, v.” in the Dictionary of the Scots Language, Edinburgh: Scottish Language Dictionaries.

[4] “bob, n.³” in the Dictionary of the Scots Language, Edinburgh: Scottish Language Dictionaries.

bob

English

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

Verb

Derived terms

Translations

Noun

Derived terms

Translations

Etymology 2

Noun

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

Translations

Etymology 3

Noun

Usage notes

Derived terms

Noun

Etymology 5

Noun

Derived terms

See also

Anagrams

Dutch

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

Noun

Etymology 2

Noun

French

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

Noun

Etymology 2

Noun

Further reading

Hungarian

Etymology

Pronunciation

Noun

Declension

Synonyms

Derived terms

Irish

Etymology

Noun

Derived terms

Noun

Declension

Derived terms

Mutation

References

Italian

Etymology

Pronunciation

Noun

Related terms

Lower Sorbian

Etymology

Pronunciation

Noun

Declension

Derived terms

See also

Further reading

Portuguese

Alternative forms

Pronunciation

Noun

Romanian

Etymology 1

Noun

Declension

Related terms

See also

Etymology 2

Noun