buoy
- buoy
-
I. noun
Etymology: Middle English boye, probably from Middle Dutch boeye; akin to Old High German bouhhan sign — more at beacon
Date: 13th century
1. float 2; especially a floating object moored to the bottom to mark a channel or something (as a shoal) lying under the water
2. life buoy
II. verb
Date: 1596
transitive verb
1. to mark by or as if by a buoy
2.
a. to keep afloat
b. support, uplift <
an economy buoyed by the dramatic postwar growth of industry — Time
>
3. to raise the spirits of — usually used with up <hope buoys him up
>
intransitive verb
float — usually used with up
New Collegiate Dictionary.
2001.
:
Look at other dictionaries:
Buoy — (bwoi or boi; 277), n. [D. boei buoy, fetter, fr. OF. boie, buie, chain, fetter, F. bou[ e]e a buoy, from L. boia. Boiae genus vinculorum tam ferreae quam ligneae. Festus. So called because chained to its place.] (Naut.) A float; esp. a floating… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Buøy — is an island and neighborhood ( delområde ) in the borough Hundvåg in Stavanger, Norway.The neighborhood has a population of 1,792, distributed on an area of 1,19 km². It consists of the islands Buøy, Engøy and Sølyst/Grasholmen.HistoryThe name… … Wikipedia
buoy — buoy·age; buoy·an·cy; buoy·ant; buoy·ant·ly; buoy·ant·ness; son·o·buoy; buoy; buoy·ance; … English syllables
Buoy — Buoy, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Buoyed}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Buoying}.] 1. To keep from sinking in a fluid, as in water or air; to keep afloat; with up. [1913 Webster] 2. To support or sustain; to preserve from sinking into ruin or despondency. [1913… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Buoy — Buoy, v. i. To float; to rise like a buoy. Rising merit will buoy up at last. Pope. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
buoy — [bo͞o′ē; ] also, and for v. 3 usually [, boi] n. [ME < (? via MDu boeie) OFr buie, chain < L boia, fetter (see BOY): prob. first applied to the chain anchoring the float] 1. a) a floating object anchored in a lake, river, etc. to mark a… … English World dictionary
buoy — [bɔɪ ǁ ˈbuːi, bɔɪ] verb [transitive] if the market or prices are buoyed, people feel confident and buy stocks and shares, and prices rise: • In Britain, bond prices were buoyed by a rise in the pound. • The market was buoyed by gains in some… … Financial and business terms
buoy — (n.) late 13c., perhaps from either O.Fr. buie or M.Du. boeye, both from W.Gmc. *baukn beacon (Cf. O.H.G. bouhhan, O.Fris. baken). OED, however, supports M.Du. boeie, or O.Fr. boie fetter, chain (see BOY (Cf. boy)), because of its being fettered… … Etymology dictionary
buoy — [n] floating device beacon, drift, float, guide, marker, signal; concept 628 buoy (up) [v] make light, encourage bolster, boost, buck up, cheer, cheer up, encourage, hearten, keep afloat, lift, prop, raise, support, sustain, uphold; concepts 7,22 … New thesaurus
buoy up — index assure (give confidence to), bear (support), bolster, reassure Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 … Law dictionary
buoy — ► NOUN ▪ an anchored float serving as a navigation mark or for mooring. ► VERB 1) keep afloat. 2) (often be buoyed up) cause to become or remain cheerful and confident. 3) cause (a price) to rise to or remain high. ORIGIN probably from Dutch boye … English terms dictionary
