English Explanatory Dictionary

buddy

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A friend or casual acquaintance.
  2. A partner for a particular activity.
  3. An informal and friendly address to a stranger, usually male; a friendly (or occasionally antagonistic) placeholder name for a person one does not know.
pron
  1. A person far removed from the conversation.
verb
  1. To assign a buddy, or partner, to.
adj
  1. Resembling a bud.
name
  1. A male nickname.
  2. A male given name from English.
  3. A given name for a dog.

Pronunciation

/ˈbʌd.i/ [ˈbʌɾ.i] En-us-buddy.ogg

Word forms

buddy buddies buddying buddied more buddy most buddy Buddie

Etymology

First appears c. 1788, in the writings of Charles Dibdin, of uncertain origin. Possibly from *bruddy, *bruthy, a child-talk alteration of brother. Alternatively, perhaps from British colloquial butty (“companion”), also the form of an older dialect term meaning workmate, associated with coal mining. Itself believed derived from 1530 as booty fellow, a partner with whom one shares booty or loot. Alternatively, compare Scots buddo, bodda (“buddy, kiddo, dear”), related to Icelandic budda (“purse"; also "short, stout person”).

Synonyms

bud mate babber billy bredrin bruv buddo buddy butty chaver china chuck chum cock cocker cobber compadre comrade companion cove crony dawg dude duck fam fettler friend geez geezer gink good old boy homeskillet homie kith lover marrow matey mucker old bean pal pardner peeps punk shag sport surry tovarish wantok partner fellow

Related words

Bud

Derived words

accountability buddy asshole buddy battle buddy birthday buddy blow buddy blow-buddy blowbuddy bosom buddy bud buddy bench buddy block buddy booth buddy boy buddy breathe buddy-buddy buddy cop buddy film buddyhood buddyish buddy list buddy memory allocation buddy movie buddyness buddy pack buddy parent buddy parenting buddy pod buddy punching Buddyroll buddyroo buddyslash buddy store buddy system buddy taping buddy up buddy wrapping bus buddy buttbuddy butt buddy cuddle buddy cut buddy cyberbuddy double buddy e-buddy fuck buddy quit buddy study buddy trollbuddy buddy-up
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