▪ I. † bo, a. (pron.) Obs.
Forms: nom. and acc. masc. 1 beᵹen, 2–3 Orm. beȝȝen, 3 bæien, beien(e, beine, beie, beye, 4 baye, bayne, beyne; fem., in ME. common and neuter, 1 bá, 2–3 ba, 3 boa, 3–4 bo, 5 boo; neuter, 1 bu; Genitive. 1 beᵹ(r)a, 2 beira, 2–4 beire, 3 beyre, 4 beyer; Dative. 1 bám, bǽm, 3 ba.
[OE. beᵹen, ba, bu, answer to Goth. nom. masc. bai, neut. ba, acc. masc. bans, dat. baim, the stem being a Gothic ba-, OTeut. bo-, which occurs also with a prefixed element in Skr. u-bha-, Gr. ἀµ-ϕο-, L. am-bo-, OSlav. o-bo-, both. In the other Teutonic langs. (exc. for the ON. gen. pl. beggja) this simple form is replaced by one with a suffixal extension: see both.]
The earlier word for both. a. as simple adjective.
| c 1000 Sax. Leechd. II. 258 Micel sar on bam sidum. c 1205 Lay. 9804, A ba [c 1275 boþe] halue. c 1275 Ibid. 22588 His sones beine. a 1250 Owl & Night. 990 Þat ut berste bo þin(e) eȝe. a 1330 Syr Degarré 2 Maken him lesen hise stiropes bayne. |
b. in concord or apposition with a pronoun.
| c 1000 Ags. Gosp. Matt. xv. 14 Hiᵹ feallað beᵹen on ænne pytt. c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 103 Hi ba habbeð unafillendliche gredinesse. c 1200 Ormin 15091 Þatt Hallȝhe Frofre Gast Þatt cumeþþ off hemm beȝȝenn. c 1205 Lay. 14811 Hali men heo weoren bæien [c 1275 beiene]. 1297 R. Glouc. 284 Seyn Edward and Aeldred, þat kynges were beye. a 1300 Floriz & Bl. 730 Ȝe schulle deie togadere bo. c 1325 Chron. Eng. 348 in Ritson Met. Rom. II. 284 Hy were beyne yfond. c 1330 Arth. & Merl. 1529 Ther thai gun to rest baye. 1387 Trevisa Higden (1865) I. 419 There were Merlyns tweyne And prophecied alle beyne. 1450 Myrc 3 In to þe dyche þey fallen boo. |
c. gen. pl. oure, ȝure, here beyre: of us, you, them both. Cf. ure ealra, oure aller, etc. in all D 4.
| c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 99 Þe feder, and his sune and heore beira gast. a 1250 Owl & Night. 1582 On thare beire nede. c 1300 Beket 2455 Bi here beire rede. 1393 Langl. P. Pl. C. xxi. 36 And deme here beyer ryght. |
d. absol.
| a 1000 Elene 889 (Gr.) Gador bu samod lic and sawl. c 1205 Lay. 281 Þæt boa sculde fallen: fader & his moder. Ibid. 17952 Þu scalt beien [c 1275 beiene] slæ þer Passent and Gillomar. a 1225 Ancr. R. 60 Bo beoð heaued sunne. c 1230 Hali Meid. 7 Godes brude & his freo dohter, for ba to gederes ha is. |
e. Frequently strengthened by the addition of two: OE. bá twá, butu, ME. bo two, of all genders. [Cf. It. ambidue.]
| a 1000 Cædmon's Gen. 765 (Gr.) Sorᵹedon bá twá, Adam and Eue. a 1100 O.E. Chron. an. 871 (Laud MS.) æðered and ælfred his broðor..hi butu ᵹeflymdon. c 1205 Lay. 2399 Mid childe heo weren ba twa [c 1275 boþe two]. a 1225 Ancr. R. 212 Heo sleateð adun boa two hore earen. |
▪ II. † bo, conj. Obs.
In 1–3 ba.
[The neuter or common form of prec. used with and. The transition to the conjunctional use is seen in bo a. d. quots. 1000 and 1205, and in 1225 here. See both.]
The earlier word for both.
| a 1225 Ancr. R. 22 Siggeð Pater Noster & Ave Maria, bo biuoren & efter. a 1225 Leg. Kath. 50 Poure ba & riche comen þer. a 1240 Sawles Warde in Lamb. Hom. 247 Ba wið eie ant wið luue. c 1300 in Wright Lyric P. xviii. 58 Thin werkes bueth bo suete ant gode. |
▪ III. bo, boh, int.
(bəʊ)
Also 6–7 boe, 7 bough.
[A combination of consonant and vowel especially fitted to produce a loud and startling sound: cf. L. bo-āre, Gr. βοά-ειν to cry aloud, roar, shout.]
An exclamation intended to surprise or frighten.
| c 1430 Lydg. Smyth & Dame 407 in Hazl. E.P.P. III. 216 Speake now..And say ones, bo. 1575 Churchyard Chippes (1817) 153 Beyond the reach of common peoples boe. 1672 R. Wild Poet. Licent. 26 The Pope's Raw-head-and-bloody-bones cry Boh Behind the door! 1829 Scott Demonol. vi. 178 We start and are afraid when we hear one cry Boh! 1855 Browning Holy-Cross Day, Boh, here's Barnabas! |
b. Proverbial phr. to say or cry ‘bo’ to a goose, (also occas.) a battledore: to open one's mouth, speak.
| 1588 Marprel. Ep. (Arb.) 43 He is not able to say bo to a goose. 1621 Bp. R. Montagu Diatribæ 118 The clergy of this time were..not able to say bo to a battledore. 1624 ― Gagg To Rdr. 8, I could say..not so much as bough to a goose. 1748 Smollett Rod. Rand. liv, I could not say Bo to a goose. 1864 C. M. Yonge C'tess Kate vii. 125 Dear me, Mary, can't you say bo to a goose! 1866 Blackmore Cradock N. xxx. (1883) 166 Bob could never say ‘bo’ to a gosling of the feminine gender. |
▪ IV. † bo, v. Obs. rare.
[? f. prec.]
intr. To cry ‘bo’; hence, to shout (at, against, on).
| ? c 1505 Dunbar Tua Mariit Wem. 276 Weil couth I..with a bukky in my cheik bo on him behind. |
▪ V. bo, n. slang. Chiefly U.S.
(bəʊ)
[Cf. hobo and bozo, but since it is recorded earlier bo is perh. more likely to have been orig. a shortening of boy.]
A familiar form of address.
| 1825 W. N. Glascock Naval Sketch-Bk. (1826) I. 148 Small helm bo—steady—ey-a. 1874 M. Clarke His Natural Life I. v. 74 Half a gallon a day, bo', and no more. 1879 Punch 24 May 239/2 Traveller..‘Which is the—quickest Way—for me to get to the Station?’ Street Arab. ‘Wh' run bo'!’ 1893 Chicago Record 14 July 11/3 An' den w'en ye meets one uv yer own kind ye feels like old pals, 'cause he calls ye ‘Ho’ an' ye calls him ‘Bo’. See? 1916 Lincoln Even. News 1 Jan. in Dialect Notes IV. 272 The swaggerest rag you can put on, bo, is one of the non-skid, full-dress shirt bosoms. 1919 Judge (ibid.), The man who tells the bootblack ‘Keep the change, bo’. |