Boyish

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈbɔɪ.ɪʃ/

Definitions

1. Possessing attributes or behaviors commonly related to youth or young males
2. Having qualities or traits typically seen in young males, such as playfulness or innocence
3. Showing features or mannerisms that are associated with boys, including a youthful or spirited nature

Etymology: "Boyish" is a plain case: a noun with a suffix added. The noun "boy" traces back through Middle English "boye" and Old English "bōia," and the suffix "-ish" comes from Old English "-isċ," which carried the sense "of the kind of" or "like." Put together, "boyish" means "having the qualities of a boy" or "like a boy." The suffix is far older than the noun it attaches to here. Its ancestor reaches back to Proto-Indo-European, the reconstructed ancestor of most European languages, and it has been used in English for over a thousand years to turn nouns into adjectives describing character or appearance, as in "childish," "womanish," and "bookish." Pairing "-ish" with "boy" simply follows that long-established pattern.

Synonyms: youthful, childish, playful

Antonyms: mature, adult