bo

See also: Appendix:Variations of "bo"

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Page categories

Translingual

Etymology

Clipping of Tibetan བོད་སྐད་ (bod skad).

Symbol

bo

1. (international standards) ISO 639-1 language code for Tibetan.

See also

• Wiktionary’s coverage of Tibetan terms

English

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /bəʊ/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /boʊ/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -əʊ
• Homophones: beau, Bo, bow

Etymology 1

Imitative.

Alternative forms

• boh, boo

Interjection

bo

1. An exclamation used to startle or frighten.
   • 1603, Michel de Montaigne, chapter 37, in John Florio, transl., The Essayes […], book II, London: […] Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], →OCLC:

     We may fairely cry bo-bo-boe; it may well make us hoarse, but it will nothing advaunce it.

Derived terms

• bo-peep
• peep bo
• say bo to a goose

Etymology 2

Probably a shortening of boy.

Noun

bo (plural bos)

1. (US, slang) Fellow, chap, boy.
   • 1940, Raymond Chandler, Farewell, My Lovely, Penguin, published 2010, page 255:

     ‘Never heard of him,’ he smiled. ‘On your way, bo.’

Etymology 3

English Wikipedia has an article on:

bo (weapon)

Wikipedia

From Japanese 棒 (bō), from Middle Chinese 棒 (baewng^X, “staff, club”) (compare modern Chinese 棒 (bàng)).

Noun

bo (plural bos)

1. (martial arts) A quarterstaff, especially in an oriental context.

Etymology 4

From Hokkien 無 / 无 (bô).

Pronunciation

• (Singapore) IPA^(key): (interrogative) [boː˨˦]

Particle

bo

1. (Singlish, interrogative) Final interrogative particle, used to invite agreement.

   Synonym: (Singlish) hor?

   Swee bo? ― Good, right?

2. (Singlish, interrogative) Final interrogative particle, forming a yes-no question from a declarative statement.

   Synonym: (Singlish) or not

Related terms

Other terms derived from Hokkien 無 / 无 (bô, “right?”, final interrogative particle)

• tio bo

Other terms derived from Hokkien 無 / 无 (bô, “did not, do not, no”)

• bo bian
• bo chup
• bo jio
• bo liao

Etymology 5

Initialism of best of.

Phrase

bo

1. Initialism of best of Often directly precedes an odd number.

   Alternative form: BO

   Best-of-three (bo3) Group Stage Match Information

See also

• bo lei
• bo tree
• sic bo
• zha bo

Anagrams

• OB, Ob, Ob., ob, ob-, ob.

Afrikaans

Etymology

From Dutch boven.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bʊə/

• Audio:

  (file)

Adverb

bo

1. above

Preposition

bo

1. above