Buddy
/ˈbʌdi/noun
A friend or close companion.
Did you know?Buddy is first attested in the 1800s as a familiar form of brother and possibly related to the older English dialect word bud, meaning a brother or mate.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*broþēr
“brother”
Old English
OE
brōþor
“brother”
Early Modern English
English
budde
“a brother; a mate or companion (dialectal/familiar)”
19th Century
English
buddy
“a familiar term for a close friend or companion”
Modern English
English
buddy
“a friend or companion”
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