bobo

See also: Bobo, bóbo, bobô, bo bo, bỏ bố, and bô bô

English

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈboʊboʊ/
Audio (Southern England) (file)
Rhymes: -oʊboʊ

Etymology 1

Blend of bourgeois +‎ bohemian, popularized by David Brooks to describe the 1990s equivalent of the yuppie.[1]

Noun

bobo (plural bobos)

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, Lobrano, Alex, “Bobo Heaven in Paris”, in T Magazine‎:
  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.
A self-styled bodyguard or groupie of the nouveau riche (such as a professional athlete or musician)
An imitation of something, particularly a well known product, usually lower in quality than the original.

Etymology 2

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

Noun

bobo (plural bobos)

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

References

David Brooks (2000) Bobos in Paradise: The New Upper Class and How They Got There (in English), Simon & Schuster, →ISBN

Anagrams

boob, obbo

Aklanon

Etymology

From Proto-Austronesian *bubu.

Noun

bobo

fish trap

Albanian

Alternative forms

obobo

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /bɔ.bɔ/

Interjection

bobo

alas (exclamation of sorrow, etc.)

Bikol Central

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

Hyphenation: bo‧bo
IPA^(key): /ˈbobo/

Adjective

bobo (feminine boba)

stupid; foolish
Synonyms: patal, palpal, pangol, torpe

Noun

bobo (feminine boba)

fool; idiot; simpleton; dunce
Synonyms: tonto, tonta, kabakab
(uncommon) clown
Synonyms: payaso, komiko

Dutch

Pronunciation

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

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Sranan Tongo bobo, from Portuguese bobo or alternatively Spanish bobo.[1]

Noun

bobo m (plural bobo's)

(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.[2]

Noun

bobo m (plural bobo's)

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

References

Philippa, Marlies; Debrabandere, Frans; Quak, Arend; Schoonheim, Tanneke; van der Sijs, Nicoline (2003–2009) Etymologisch woordenboek van het Nederlands (in Dutch), Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press
Philippa, Marlies; Debrabandere, Frans; Quak, Arend; Schoonheim, Tanneke; van der Sijs, Nicoline (2003–2009) Etymologisch woordenboek van het Nederlands (in Dutch), Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press

French

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /bo.bo/

Etymology 1

Onomatopoeic.

Noun

bobo m (plural bobos)

(childish) boo-boo (pain or injury)

Etymology 2

Blend of bourgeois +‎ bohème.

Noun

bobo m or f by sense (plural bobos)

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.
  (please add an English translation of this quote)

Haitian Creole

Etymology

Compare Louisiana Creole French bo.

Verb

bobo

(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

to pour out or over

Noun

bóbo

baptism without ceremony

Japanese

Romanization

bobo

Rōmaji transcription of ぼぼ

Mansaka

Etymology

From bubu, from Proto-Austronesian *bubu.

Noun

bobo

fish trap

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

old woman
midwife
Synonym: bopkă

Related terms

nouns

bopkă f (“midwife”)

References

Tadeusz Lehr-Spławiński; Kazimierz Polański (1962), “babə”, in Słownik etymologiczny języka Drzewian połabskich [Etymological dictionary of the Polabian Drevani language] (in Polish), volume 1: A — Ďüzd, Wrocław – Warszawa – Kraków: Zakład Narodowy im. Ossolińskich, page 22
Kazimierz Polański; James Allen Sehnert (1967), “bobo”, in Polabian-English Dictionary, The Hague, Paris: Mouton & Co, page 35
Reinhold Olesch (1962), “Boba, Bobo”, in Thesaurus Linguae Dravaenopolabicae [Thesaurus of the Drevani language] (in German), volume 1: A – O, Cologne, Vienna: Böhlau Verlag, →ISBN, page 65

Polish

Etymology

From nursery language.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈbɔ.bɔ/
Rhymes: -ɔbɔ
Syllabification: bo‧bo

Noun

bobo n (indeclinable)

(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

Portuguese

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish bobo, from Latin balbus.

Pronunciation

Hyphenation: bo‧bo

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

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

Adjective

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

(Brazil) silly, stupid
Synonyms: see Thesaurus:idiota
(Brazil) naive

Noun

bobo m (plural bobos)

(historical) jester (person who amused a medieval court)
Synonym: bobo da corte
(chiefly Brazil) a stupid or naive person; a fool
Synonyms: see Thesaurus:idiota

Derived terms

bobagem (“nonsense”)
bobo da corte

Spanish

Etymology

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)

stupid, silly, naive
Synonym: tonto

Derived terms

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

Noun

bobo m (plural bobos)

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.

Sranan Tongo

Etymology

From Portuguese bobo.

Noun

bobo

dolt, dweeb, wimp

Adjective

bobo

doltish, sluggish

Verb

bobo

to behave like a dolt

Tagalog

Alternative forms

bubo

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

Hyphenation: bo‧bo

IPA^(key): /ˈbobo/, [ˈbo.bo]

Noun

bobo (Baybayin spelling ᜊᜓᜊᜓ, feminine boba)

fool; idiot; simpleton; dunce
(uncommon) clown; jester
Synonyms: payaso, arlikin

Adjective

bobo (Baybayin spelling ᜊᜓᜊᜓ, feminine boba)

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 quote)

Derived terms

bobotante
konsuwelo de-bobo
mabobo
magpakabobo
nakakabobo

Ternate

bobo

Etymology

Compare Tobelo boboro (“nipa”).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈbo.bo/

Noun

bobo (Jawi بوبو‎)

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

[1] David Brooks (2000) Bobos in Paradise: The New Upper Class and How They Got There (in English), Simon & Schuster, →ISBN

[2] Philippa, Marlies; Debrabandere, Frans; Quak, Arend; Schoonheim, Tanneke; van der Sijs, Nicoline (2003–2009) Etymologisch woordenboek van het Nederlands (in Dutch), Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press

[3] Philippa, Marlies; Debrabandere, Frans; Quak, Arend; Schoonheim, Tanneke; van der Sijs, Nicoline (2003–2009) Etymologisch woordenboek van het Nederlands (in Dutch), Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press

bobo

English

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

Noun

Etymology 2

Noun

See also

References

Anagrams

Aklanon

Etymology

Noun

Albanian

Alternative forms

Pronunciation

Interjection

See also

Bikol Central

Etymology

Pronunciation

Adjective

Noun

Dutch

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

Noun

Etymology 2

Noun

References

French

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

Noun

Etymology 2

Noun

Further reading

Haitian Creole

Etymology

Verb

Descendants

References

Hiligaynon

Verb

Noun

Japanese

Romanization

Mansaka

Etymology

Noun

Polabian

Alternative forms

Etymology

Pronunciation

Noun

Related terms

References

Polish

Etymology

Pronunciation

Noun

Derived terms

Further reading

Portuguese

Etymology

Pronunciation

Adjective

Noun

Derived terms

Spanish

Etymology

Pronunciation

Adjective

Derived terms

Noun

Usage notes

Further reading

Sranan Tongo

Etymology

Noun