buddy

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See also:Buddy

English

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Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key):/ˈbʌd.i/
  • Audio(US):(file)
  • Rhymes:-ʌdi

Etymology 1

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First appears c. 1788, in the writings ofCharles Dibdin,of uncertain origin. Possibly from*bruddy, *bruthy,a child-talk alteration ofbrother.[1][2]Alternatively, perhaps from British colloquialbutty(“companion”),also the form of an older dialect term meaningworkmate,associated with coal mining. Itself believed derived from 1530 asbooty fellow,a partner with whom one shares booty or loot.[3]Alternatively, compareScotsbuddo,bodda(“buddy, kiddo, dear”),related toIcelandicbudda(“purse "; also" short, stout person”).

Noun

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buddy(pluralbuddies)

  1. Afriendorcasualacquaintance.
    Synonyms:bud,mate;see alsoThesaurus:friend
    They have beenbuddiessince they were in school.
    • 1951,J. D. Salinger,The Catcher in the Rye,Boston, Mass.: Little, Brown and Company,→OCLC,page23:
      He told us we ought to think of Jesus as ourbuddyand all. He said he talked to Jesus all the time. Even when he was driving his car. That killed me.
  2. Apartnerfor a particular activity.
    Synonyms:companion,partner
    drinkingbuddies
    trainingbuddies[mentor/mentee]
  3. Aninformaland friendly address to astranger,usually male; a friendly (or occasionally antagonistic)placeholdername for a person one does not know.
    Synonyms:mate,fellow
    Hey,buddy,I think you dropped this.

Pronoun

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buddy

  1. (Maritime English)A person far removed from the conversation.
    I found some earphones in the pocket,buddymust have been pissed.
    Buddy's loaded. 'Got like three houses.
Derived terms
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Translations
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Verb

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buddy(third-person singular simple presentbuddies,present participlebuddying,simple past and past participlebuddied)

  1. (transitive)To assign a buddy, orpartner,to.
    • 2007,Philip Briggs, Danny Edmunds,Mozambique: The Bradt Travel Guide‎[1],→ISBN,page86:
      If you are being formallybuddied,have a good chat with your buddy and find out their interests -- these should more or less match your own.

Etymology 2

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FromMiddle Englishbuddy,buddi,equivalent tobud+‎-y.

Adjective

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buddy(comparativemorebuddy,superlativemostbuddy)

  1. Resembling abud.
    • 1963,John Herbert Goddard,Chrysanthemum Growers' Treasury,page18:
      Some of the dwarfer varieties are full ofbuddygrowths in the early stages and these must be cut down and thrown away.

References

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  1. ^“buddy”,inLexico,Dictionary;Oxford University Press,2019–2022.
  2. ^“buddy”,inMerriam-Webster Online Dictionary,Springfield, Mass.:Merriam-Webster,1996–present.
  3. ^Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “buddy”,inOnline Etymology Dictionary,retrieved November 2008.
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