Boob
/buːb/noun
A foolish or stupid person; also a breast, especially in informal use.
Did you know?The insult sense appears in English by the late 19th century, and the body sense was later reinforced by slang and euphemism rather than a single ancient root.
Etymological Timeline
Late 19th Century
English
boob
“A stupid or foolish person, especially in slang”
Early 20th Century
English
boob
“Informal slang for a breast”
19th Century
English
booby
“A fool, simpleton, or gullible person”
17th Century
Spanish
bobo
“Stupid, foolish; a simpleton”
Earlier Romance / uncertain
Latin?
balbus
“Stammering, speech-impaired; likely source of Romance forms”
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