tomboy means A girl who behaves in a typically boyish manner.
tomboy is pronounced /ˈtɒm.bɔɪ/.
Why “tomboy” is a great word
A girl who behaves in a typically boyish manner. From the male name Tom + boy, first attested in the mid-16th century meaning a rude, boisterous boy, later developing its modern sense. Unlike 'butch,' which often carries connotations of a deliberate masculine identity, or 'gamine,' which suggests a stylized, elfin charm, tomboy evokes the unselfconscious vigor of childhood. It is the scrape of a knee through torn stockings, the solid heft of a pocketknife, the stubborn insistence on climbing the highest oak—a brief, sun-drenched season of freedom before the world begins to insist on softer shapes.
Etymology
From tom + boy. First attested in Ralph Roister Doister (published 1567, written circa 1552), where it is used to describe a boisterous girl; the OED says the citation is however "generally taken" to mean a boisterous boy, and says that a use in The Old Law (published 1656, thought to have been written circa 1599) "certainly" means a boy: "must young court-tits / play tomboys' tricks with her?" By 1579 it was attested in the meaning "an immodest woman", and by no later than 1592 it had developed its modern meaning of a “girl who acts like a boy”.
noun
- A girl who behaves in a typically boyish manner.e.g.“His sister, his dearest and only playmate, is a tomboy at heart.”
- A rude, boisterous boy.
- An immodest or bold woman.
- A butch lesbian.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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