† ˈboistous, a. Obs.
Forms: 3–6 boistous, boystous, buystous(e, (also 4 booistous, boystoyse, 5 boistose, boistoys, boistez, boysteis), buystuous, boystyous, (bostuous, bioustious), 5–6 boystows(e, boi-, boysteous, -ious, 6 buistous, boystuous(e, (bostyous). Also, North. 4 bostwys, bustwys, (boustes), 4–5 boustous, 5–6 bustus, Sc. bustows(e, boustous, bousteous, -tious, busteous, -ious, -uous, -uus.
[Of uncertain etymology. Certainly not connected with bost, boast (as has been suggested on the ground of the 16th c. Sc. spelling boist for bōst). The phonology and form suggest French origin, and in form the ME. word exactly answers to OF. boisteus, AF. boistous, mod.F. boiteux lame; but no connexion of sense appears to be traceable, at least if the etymology proposed by Diez for the French word from boiste ‘box’, ‘knee-joint’ holds good. The essential meaning in Eng. from the first appears to have been ‘coarse, rough’, but senses 1–4 are all nearly equally early. The later variants boisteous, boystuous, led to the modern boisterous.
(The mod. Cornwall dialect has in WCorn. boist corpulence, boustis, bustious stout, overfat, burdensome to oneself; in ECorn. boostis fat, well-conditioned: cf. sense 3. This occurrence of a sense so long obs. in literary Eng., and esp. of an apparent radical n. boist, not known at all in literature, is very curious: but there are no similar words known in Celtic Cornish. The Welsh bwyst ‘wildness’ appears to be a figment of Owen Pugh, but bwystus ‘wild, ferocious’ occurs in the 14th c., and may be a deriv. of an obs. *bwyst:—L. bēstia; or it may be merely the ME. buystous.)]
1. Of persons, etc.: Rough, rude; untaught, rustic; coarse, unpolished.
| c 1300 K. Alis. 5659 It is boystous folk. 1340 Ayenb. 103 We þet byeþ greate and boystoyse to spekene of zuo heȝe þinge. 1387 Trevisa Higden Rolls Ser. II. 311 Men þat were vnkonnynge and boistous as bestes. 1388 Wyclif 2 Chron. xiii. 7 Roboam was buystuouse [Vulg. rudis, 1382 rude]. 1494 Fabyan v. cxix. 96 The state of holye Churche in Brytayne was as yet rude and boystyous. 1500 Ortus Voc. in Promp. Parv. 42 Rudis, indoctus, inordinatus, quasi ruri datus, boystous. 1513 Douglas æneis i. Prol. 48 Weill ma I schaw my burell busteous thocht. 1547 Boorde Introd. Knowl. 160 They be rude & rusticall, & very boystous in theyr speche. |
2. Full of rude strength and fierce vigour; rough, fierce, savage; powerful, violent in action. (Often an epithet of the boar or bear.)
| c 1325 E.E. Allit. P. A. 910 Bustwys as a blose. 1387 Trevisa Higden (1865) I. 291 Þe men þere of beeþ boistous men of dedes. Ibid. Rolls Ser. II. 251 Nemproth the bostuous [robustus] oppressor of men. ? a 1400 Morte Arth. 774 A blake bustous bere. 1483 Caxton Gold. Leg. 56/3 By strong hande he shal late you goo and in a boystous he shal caste you fro his land. 1539 Taverner Erasm. Prov. (1552) 5 A strong disease requyreth a stronge medecine..A boysteous horse, a boysteous snaffell. |
3. Roughly massive; bulky; clumsy.
(Still dial.; see note to Etymology.)
| c 1325 E.E. Allit. P. A. 813, Brede vpon a bost-wys bem. ? a 1400 Morte Arth. 2175 The boustous launce þe bewelles attamede. 1485 Caxton Chas. Gt. 29 Of body he was moche ample & boystous of stature. a 1547 Earl of Surrey æneid iv. 582 Like to the aged boysteous bodied oke. 1567 Turberv. Poems in Chalmers English Poets II. 616/2 Time makes the tender twig to bousteous tree to grow. |
4. Coarse in texture, gross, rough; thick, stiff.
| 1388 Wyclif Matt. ix. 16 No man putteth a clout of buystous clothe in to an elde clothing. 1398 Trevisa Barth. De P.R. iii. xvi, Þe laste and þe moste boystous of alle [the senses] is gropynge, for þe kynde þerof is erþi. c 1450 Merlin xi. 168 Grete boysteis shone of netes leder. 1578 Lyte Dodoens i. xxix. 41 Medesweete..hath..leaues..rough, boysteous and harde. |
5. Rough, loud or violent in sound.
| c 1430 Lydg. Bochas vi. xv. (1554) 143 b The boystous thunder. c 1450 Henryson Mor. Fab. 30 Hee heard ane bousteous Bugill blaw. c 1460 Towneley Myst. 195 Youre wordes ar bustus. 1552 Lyndesay Monarche iv. 5597 That terribyll Trumpat..That boustious blast thay sall obey. |
6. Of the wind, sea, weather: Rough and violent, boisterous.
| 1470 Harding Chron. clxxxiv. ii, The wind was so boistous..houses and trees Were blow doune. 1548 Udall, etc. Erasm. Par. Matt. xvi. 3 A foule and a boystuouse day. 1553 Eden Treat. New Ind. (Arb.) 33 The sea was very rough, and the wether stormie and boysteous. 1571 Golding Calvin on Ps. xviii. 8 Boystowse vyolence of wyndes. |