A boy is a young male (usually child or adolescent), as contrasted to its female counterpart, girl; thus in the wide sense of both terms all mankind, and in the strictest sense youth, consists of 'boys and girls'. CHILD syndrome (or congenital hemidysplasia with ichthyosiform erythroderma and limb defects) is a genetic disorder Female (♀ is the Sex of an Organism, or a part of an organism which produces ova (egg cells A girl is any Female Human from birth through Childhood and Adolescence to attainment of Adulthood The term may also be used to mean Youth is the period from infancy or childhood to maturity Usage Around the world the terms "youth" " Adolescent " "teenager" and

The term "boy" is primarily used to indicate biological sex distinctions, cultural gender role distinctions or both. An organism's sex is defined by the gametes it produces males produce male gametes (spermatozoa or Sperm) while females produce female gametes (ova or Egg cells; individual Gender comprises a range of differences between men and women extending from the biological to the social The latter most commonly applies to adult men, either considered in some way immature or inferior, in a position associated with aspects of boyhood, or even without such boyish connotation as age-indiscriminate synonym. The term can be joined with a variety of other words to form these gender-related labels as compound words.

Ongoing debates about the influences of nature versus nurture in shaping the behavior of girls and boys raises questions about whether the roles played by boys are mainly the result of inborn differences or of socialization. The nature versus nurture debates concern the relative importance of an individual's innate qualities ("nature" i Images of boys in art, literature and popular culture often demonstrate assumptions about gender roles. A gender role is defined as a set of perceived behavioural norms associated particularly with Males or Females in a given social group or system

Contents 1 Etymology 2 Scope 2.1 Race 3 Specific uses and compounds 3.1 Military 3.2 Domestic, residential and similar 'personal' attendants 3.3 Cultural and religious life 3.4 Rural life and professions 3.5 Commercial and other services 3.6 Role play 4 Non-function specific analogous terms 5 Analogous uses and popular etymology 6 Similar originally youth-related terms 7 Boys in art 8 See also 9 Sources and references

Etymology

The word "boy" is recorded since 1154. Its etymology is unclear; it is probably related to East Frisian boi, Old Norse bófi, Dutch boef "(criminal) knave, rogue" and German Bube. Etymology is the study of the History of Words &mdash when they entered a language from what source and how their form and meaning have changed over time Old Norse is the North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age Dutch ( is a West Germanic language spoken by around 24 million people 22 million of which are from the Netherlands, Belgium and Suriname The German language (de ''Deutsch'') is a West Germanic language and one of the world's major languages.

Scope

An adult male human is a man, but when age is not a crucial factor, both terms can be interchangeable, e. A man is a Male Human. The term man (irregular plural g. , 'boys and their toys' applies equally to adults and young boys, just as 'Are you mice or men?' can also apply to young boys.

The age boundary is not clear cut, rather dependent on the context or even on individual circumstances. A young man who has not assumed (or has been denied) the traditional roles of a man might also be called a boy. It may feel uncomfortable to a young male upon being referred to as a "man" before he believes he has assumed these roles, such as having a career, a partner, a household of his own, fatherhood. Conversely, it may feel uncomfortable to a male to be called a "boy" if he believes he has assumed the traditional roles of a "man". In mother's/mama's boy, the word emphatically implies a male (minor or adult in years) who is too immature to be independent. In law the term minor (also infant or infancy) is used to refer to a person who is under the age in which one legally assumes Adulthood and is legally

In some traditions boyhood is held to be exchanged for adult manhood, or at least approach it significantly, by certain -in se independent- acts assuming a role deemed to be typical for a "normal" man (though there are limits) as marriage, fathering offspring or military service. Various cultural and/or religious rites of passage serve, partially or specifically, to mark the transition to manhood. A rite of passage is a Ritual that marks a change in a person's social or sexual status

There is often a number of traditional differences in attire between boys and adult men, which may even give rise to a metaphoric term such as broekvent in Dutch (i. e. , a boy who has not yet "graduated" from shorts to trousers) and in what is socially accepted as appropriate behaviour, e. g. , boys may be publicly seen naked in cultures where men are not.

In English, the words youth, teenager and adolescent may refer to either male or female. Youth is the period from infancy or childhood to maturity Usage Around the world the terms "youth" " Adolescent " "teenager" and No gender-specific term exists for an intermediate stage between a boy and a man, except "young man", although the term puberty, for one who reached sexual reproductivity (or the legally assumed age, e. g. 14 for boys, often set lower for girls) without being a legal adult yet, stems from a Latin word for boys only, itself named after the accompanying male body hair, pubes, on face and genital region.

Many occasions occur when an adult male is commonly referred to as a boy. A person's boyfriend or loverboy may be of any age; this even applies to a 'working' call-boy, toyboy (though usually younger than the client as youth is generally considered attractive). NOTICE*************** Significant age disparity in sexual relationships has been and remains a feature of couples in many Cultures and societies. Reflecting the general aesthetic preference for youth, one says pretty boy (e. g. in the nickname of Charles Arthur "Pretty Boy" Floyd, who committed his first bank robbery at age 30) or Adonis (name of a mythological youth) even when a male beauty is clearly of riper age. Charles Arthur "Pretty Boy" Floyd ( February 3, 1904 &ndash October 22, 1934) was an American bank robber Adonis (Άδωνης also Άδωνις is a figure of West Semitic origin where he is a central cult figure in various Mystery religions, who enters In terms (used pejoratively or neutrally) for homosexuals such as batty boy (alongside "batty man"; from "bottom") or "bum boy", age is not essential, but the connotation of immaturity can strengthen insulting use. Homosexuality refers to sexual behavior with or attraction to people of the same sex or to a Homosexual orientation. Bati boy ( batty bwoy) bati man, bati chick, pariss, chi chi boy, chi chi man, chiefe, booty boy

A man's group of male friends etc. engaged in Male bonding are often called "the boys". Male bonding is a term that is used in Ethology, Social science, and in general usage to describe patterns of Friendship and/or cooperation in men It is most common to refer to men, irrespective of age or even in an adult age group, as boys in the context of a team (especially all-male), such as old boys for networking of adult men who attended the same school(s) as boys, or as professional colleagues, e. An old boy network, or society, can refer to social and business connections among former pupils of top male-only Private schools This can apply to g. "the boys at the office, - police station etc. " (often all adults). The members of a student fraternity can be called frat(ernity) boys, technically preferable to the pleonasm frat-bro(ther), and remain so for life as adults, after graduation. Fraternities and sororities (from the Latin words la frater and la soror, meaning "brother" and "sister" respectively are fraternal In sports 'the boys' commonly refers to the team mates; e. g. , UK football managers quite often refer to their players as "The boy so-and-so" and this usage is by no means restricted to the youngest players, though it is rarely applied to the most senior. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located In US urban, particularly African American and Latino slang the term boy is used with a possessive as meaning friend (my boy, his boys), presumably as a reduction of homeboy, originally a male from the same area. African Americans or Black Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have origins in any of the black populations of Africa Slang is the use of highly informal Words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's Dialect or Language.

In some cases, a word using boy is used merely to designate the age of the (male) person, irrespective of the function, as in altar boy, a minor acting as liturgical acolyte, or in Boy Scouts, an organisation specifically for boys. An altar server or Acolyte is a lay assistant to a member of the Clergy during a religious service This article is about religious acolytes For other uses see Acolyte (disambiguation. Some troops are co-educational for those troops this article is relevant to them Thus the compound -man can then be replaced by -boy, as in footboy; or boy is simply added, either as a prefix (e. A footman (plural -men) is a Male Servant, notably as Domestic staff. g. , in boy-racer) or as a suffix (e. g. , in Teddy Boy). The British Teddy Boy Subculture is typified by young men wearing clothes inspired by the styles of the Edwardian period, which Savile Row tailors

An adult equivalent (with or without -man) is not to be expected when -boy designates an apprentice (for which some languages use a compound with the equivalent of boy, e. g. leerjongen 'learning boy' in Dutch) or lowest rank implying specific on the job training if promotion is to be obtained, as in kitchen-boy. A chef is a person who cooks professionally In a professional kitchen setting the term is used only for the one person in charge of everyone else in the kitchen the executive Similarly schoolboy only applies to minors; the modern near-synonym pupil originally designated a minor in Roman law as being under a specific adult's authority, as in loco parentis.

Expressions such as "boys will be boys" (i. e. , a male always retains a tendency for boyish games or mischief) allude to stereotypically ascribed characteristics of boys and men; in the term tomboy, a woman's (according to the counterpart-gender stereotype) uncharacteristically bold nature is even described solely by comparing her to a boy. Tomboy is a Girl who behaves according to the Gender role of a Boy.

The use of boy (like kid) in (fantasy or descriptive) nick-names, also for adult men (e. KID, whose name is an Acronym of Kindle Imagine Develop, was a Japan -based company specializing in porting and developing Bishōjo games g. Shark Boy for a wrestler with matching costume), may also connote to the informal or naughty image of boyhood. Dean Roll (born January 28, 1975) He debuted on May 3 1997 in Thatcher's Heartland Wrestling Association, wrestling as the masked

In such terms as 'city boy' or 'home boy', the age notion is at most anachronistic, as they indicate any male who grew up (or by extension lived a long time) in a certain environment.

Race

Historically, in countries such as the U.S. and South Africa, "boy" was not only a 'neutral' term for domestics but also used as a disparaging racist insult towards men of colour (especially of African descent), recalling their subservient status even after the 20th century legal emancipation (from slavery, evolved to race segregation, viz. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The Republic of South Africa (also known by other official names) is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa List of racism-related topics|Racism by country Racism, by its simplest definition is the belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that An insult (also called putdown) is an expression statement or behavior that is considered degrading Apartheid) and alleged infantility, and many still consider it offensive in that context to this day.

Specific uses and compounds

The following subsections treat some specific contexts where the term boy is frequently used, as such or in compound terms, often 'emancipated' from the age notion as such.

They also show that similar semantic broadness applies to many languages, notably Indo-European; to avoid lengthy duplication, cases may simply be linked here.

• Master was replaced (not for a slave owner or his overseer etc. Master is an English title In English and Welsh society Master was used in England for men of some rank especially "free masters" ) by the late 19th century, as a form of address, especially employed by servants, by Mister (etymologically equal) for the master of the household and other adults, but retained for boys till age 13

Military

The term 'our boys' is commonly used for a nation's soldiers, often with sympathy. MISTER ( "Metropolitan Individual System of Transportation on an Elevated Rail") is a Personal rapid transit (PRT system developed in Poland. Given the physical demands of battle, recruits are preferably in their physical prime, but adult professionals remain included in the term as long as they remain in service.

A case where the term is formally used for (adult) men is sideboy, a member of an even-numbered group of seaman posted in two rows at the Quarterdeck when a visiting dignitary boards or leaves a ship. A sideboy is a member of an even-numbered group of Seaman posted in two rows at the quarterdeck when a visiting dignitary boards or leaves the Ship, historically

In the Ottoman empire, the young, mainly Christian military recruits for life (often forcibly enlisted by 'devshirme') were officially called acemi oglanlar ("novice boys"). Devşirme or devshirme (derived from devşirme meaning "collection gathering" was the systematic collection of non-Muslim children

Thus "-boy" can enter the nickname for a particular nation's soldiers, e. A nickname is a Name of an entity or thing that is not its Proper name. A soldier is a general English term that refers to a member of a land component of National Armed forces. g. the US (infantry) doughboy, or a specific force, e. Doughboy is an outdated slang term for a United States Army Infantryman best known from its use in World War I, although it dates back to the Mexican-American g. Fly-boy is slang for an airman. Airman is a term used to refer to any enlisted personnel in the United States Air Force or Other Ranks in the Royal Air Force (in which airwoman

Furthermore, specific terms refer to minors used in the armed forces:

• drummer boy
• ship's boy is a minor in naval training; boy seaman refers to specific, low-paid apprentice ranks, notably in the Royal Navy; until the middle of the twentieth century, they were the only Navy staff subject (like their civilian age-peers, at home and in school) to physical punishment, usually spanking, traditionally administered on the bare bottom (as in English public schools; the adults were lashed on the backside above the waist), either formally (ordered in court martial, publicly executed on deck) or, more often but less severely, summary; the same was true of a midshipman, also a minor, but indicated with "-man" rather than "-boy", possibly reflecting their higher status as future naval officers. A drummer is a Musician who plays a Drum or drums particularly a Drum kit ("drum set" or "trap set" Marching percussion Boy Seaman (plural Boy seamen is a Boy (male minor who serves as seaman and/or is trained for such service The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British armed services (and is therefore known as the Senior Service) Spanking is a form of Corporal punishment that generally consists of striking the Buttocks of a Child or Teenager, usually by the parents A court-martial (plural courts-martial) is a Military court. These military courts can determine Punishments for members of the Military subject For the fish called midshipman see Midshipman fish. The rank of midshipman is one of the oldest ranks still in existence Sometimes in ex-servicemen's parades, an old man is described as "ship's boy" to say that he served so classed in the Navy as a boy.

However, when a minor in military employ is considered (historically often far less restrictive then nowadays) too young to be a 'normal' warrior (illegal under present UN rules, but without precise enforceable age limits), he's called boy soldier, regardless whether he's used as an armed fighter or only in logistic or similar functions such as bearer. The military use of Children takes three distinct forms children can take direct part in hostilities (child soldiers or they can be used in support roles such as porters spies messengers

Domestic, residential and similar 'personal' attendants

• Houseboy, or often "boy" for short, became a common term for domestic staff, notably non-European natives in the Asian and African colonies, adopted as such in other languages, e. Houseboy, typically is a male servant or assistant who performs domestic or personal chores as in Houseboy, an American Slang g. in Dutch and French (also in the Belgian colonies).
• Bellboy was originally a ship's bell-ringer, later a hotel page. A bellhop, also bellboy ( or bellman, is a Hotel porter, who helps Patrons with their Luggage while checking in
• Busboy is a rank in restaurants etc. Busboys or busgirls' or SA, increasingly referred to as bussers, workin the Restaurant and Catering industry clearing below (head) waiter, fitting for trainees but may be held by ripe adults, even under younger (e. g. better qualified) superiors
• Page, from the Greek παις pais, again in many languages, already in Hellenistic times παίδες βασιλικοί paides basilikoi 'royal (i. A page or page boy is a traditionally young male servant. The medieval page In medieval times, a page was an attendant to a Knight e. court) boys'.
• Cabin boy
• Cabana boy
• Hamam oğlanı "bath boy" (also called Tellak) working in a Turkish bath. A Cabin boy or ship's boy is a Boy (in the sense of low-ranking male employee not always a minor who waits on the officers and passengers of a Ship, especially A cabana boy is a male attendant ( Boy in this sense performing 'personal services' to the guests of a Hotel etc The Turkish bath (hamam from حمّام) is the Middle Eastern variant of a steam bath, which can be categorized as a wet relative of the
• Hall boy
• Kitchen boy, belows the cook(s); in a large household there may be specific functions, such as spitboy
• Linkboy like linkman meant torch- or other light-bearer

Cultural and religious life

• Altar boy (see above)
• Choir boy designates a boy (always a minor) singer in a choir; here applies a specific physiological, artistically relevant criterion: they remain a musical category of their own (boy soprano, also known as a treble) until their voice 'breaks', during puberty, to join one of the adult male voice registers (countertenor (closest to treble), alto, tenor, baritone, or bass); only the castrato may (not guaranteed) remain a soprano as an adult man; historically the term was designed for all-male (mainly church) choirs, with men with already broken voices (often former choir boys), in modern times it also applies to mixed choirs. The hall boy was the lowest ranked male servant on the staff of a Great house. cook is a household staff member responsible for food preparation cook is a household staff member responsible for food preparation A link-boy (or link boy or linkboy) was a boy who carried a flaming Torch to light the way for pedestrians at night Originally a torch was a portable source of Fire used as a source of light usually a rod-shaped piece of wood with a rag soaked in pitch and/or some other An altar server or Acolyte is a lay assistant to a member of the Clergy during a religious service A choirboy is a Boy member of a Choir, also known as a treble For the musical composition see Chorale. A choir, chorale, or chorus is a Musical ensemble of Singers A boy soprano is a young male singer with an unchanged voice in the Soprano range This article is related to a series of articles under the main article Voice type. Alto is a musical term derived from the Latin word altus, meaning "high" that has several possible interpretations The tenor is the highest male voice within the Modal register, just above the Baritone voice This article is related to a series of articles under the main article Voice type. A castrato is a man with a singing voice equivalent to that of a Soprano, Mezzo-soprano, or Contralto voice produced either by Castration This article is related to a series of articles under the main article Voice type.

Rural life and professions

• Cowboy originally designated a herdsboy employed as cowherd, but lost the age notion, first retaining the connotation of inferior status, later applying to the whole ranch life culture; by contrast "shepherd's boy" (rather herding sheep or goats, representing less capital) remained restricted to minors. A cowboy is an animal Herder who tends Cattle on Ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback and often performs a multitude of A cowboy is an animal Herder who tends Cattle on Ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback and often performs a multitude of The domestic goat ( Capra aegagrus hircus) is a subspecies of goat Domesticated from the Wild goat of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe

Commercial and other services

Often the term "boy" describes positions of the trainee type, such as stable boy (a junior stable hand). The term training refers to the acquisition of knowledge skills and competencies as a result of the teaching of vocational or practical skills and knowledge For other uses see Groom A groom is an employee who is responsible for some or all aspects of the welfare of a stable owner's Horses and/or For other uses see Groom A groom is an employee who is responsible for some or all aspects of the welfare of a stable owner's Horses and/or

• Best boy in a film crew denotes the chief assistant, usually of the gaffer or key grip, next in line to be promoted; an example of a use where the term is traditionally unaltered in crediting female incumbents
• Office boy and copy boy refer to a young(est) employee (i. In a Film crew there are two kinds of best boy: best boy electric and best boy grip. e. lacking experience), in training and/or performing menial services such as making photocopies.
• Even into the early 20th century, the British empire systematically employed boy clerks, including a specific rank of boy copyist, recruited by examination (despite the name, requiring schooling) and reserved for candidates aged 15-18, not retained in that rank after the age of 20. Clerk, the vocational title commonly refers to a White-collar worker who conducts general office or in some instances sales tasks

Certain jobs need so little training or formal qualifications that they can easily be performed as student job, and thus tend to be filled mostly or exclusively by minors, as it would not pay to employ an adult at or above minimum wage. A part-time job carries fewer hours per week than a Full-time job and usually pays less than a full-time job Thus an equivalent word with the compound man (or similar) may be the rarer one, or even inexistent. Examples include delivery boy, errand boy, messenger boy and various specific terms naming the product to deliver, such as paperboy (closest adult counterpart postman), pizza boy (alongside pizzaman), or to serve, such as a potboy (drinks waiter). Delivery is the process of transporting Goods. Most goods are delivered through a transportation network. A paperboy is the general name for a person employed by a Newspaper, a news agent or even an official postal service to deliver newspapers to the homes of subscribers as assigned Pizza (ˈpiːtsə, in Italian:) is a popular dish made with an Oven -baked flat generally round Bread that is covered with tomatoes or a tomato-based In other cases the compound mentions a crucial attribute of his task, e. g. ballboy (more recently also girls) in tennis.

In some cases his small, light body makes a boy a better choice, e. g. as jockey where no weight handicap is in force. In Sport, a jockey is one who rides Horses in Horse racing or steeplechase racing primarily as a profession

• A nipper originally was a boy send out by an adult (often his own father) as pickpocket (thief who 'snatches' purses), later a boy assistant to various professions such as a carter, still later (recorded since 1859) a boys' age term roughly equal to toddler

Role play

In BDSM, the term boy, often in the deliberate misspelling boi (which has other gay uses), sometimes specified (notably 'domestic' houseboi), refers not to junior age, but to the submissive position in the role play (e. Nipper ( 1884 - 1895) was a Dog that served as the model for a painting entitled His Master's Voice which later became identified with a This article is about the crime For the Robert Bresson film see Pickpocket (film. Toddler is a common term for a young Child who is learning to walk or "toddle", generally considered to be the second stage of development after infancy g. father-son, teacher-pupil, owner-slave) at the masters beck and call, also known as bottom, especially if this implies submitting to discipline by the dominant 'top', who may not only command and humiliate the boi at his discretion but even administer punishment (often spanking, making the term bottom most appropriate) at his (dis)pleasure. Bottom and Submissive are the labels used to describe a partner who takes the passive receiving or obedient role within a BDSM scene, or within a Spanking is a form of Corporal punishment that generally consists of striking the Buttocks of a Child or Teenager, usually by the parents

Non-function specific analogous terms

Boys, in the strict or a wider sense, are often informally referred to by analogous or metaphorical terms. The literal connotations, which may be ironic or downright pejorative, have often been eroded by common use. Some terms are unisex, with or without (at least historical) preponderance of use for boys:-

• Cub, pup(py) and whelp compare boys to the young of predatory animals, the slang tadpole even to that of an amphibian;
• Buck, another animal young, usually refers to a sexually adventurous male youngster
• Loon, originally an (idle) lout, has got -mainly in Scotland- unrelated specific meanings, including boy, simpleton and looney person
• Sprout compares to a plant's young shoots
• References to the boy's generally lighter physique then a man include stripling 'slender youth' and -rather insulting- slang like half-pint or small-fry
• More specifically, shaveling (or in slang shaver) refers to boys' lesser hair growth then men's before - and densification around puberty
• Various terms refer to children's, often especially boys', lack of adult manners (e. A tadpole or polliwog (also pollywog, polliwig, polewig, or polwig) is the wholly aquatic larval stage in the life cycle of BUCK is the first full-length Album released by Christian Ska band BUCK Enterprises. The loons (eg North America or divers (eg UK/Ireland are a group of aquatic birds found in many parts of North America and northern Eurasia Shoots are new plant growth they can include stems, flowering stems with flower buds leaves Stripling can be a term for a Young man, as in Stripling warrior last name Bass player Jon Stripling g. "snot(ty) nose(d) (kid)") or to often mischievous behavior, e. g. "rascal", also by analogy with animals, e. g. "monkey", "urchin" (as 'prickly' as a hedgehog); "(spoiled) brat" refers to such undiscipline for lack of firm upbringing. A spoiled brat (alternatively spelled spoilt brat) is a child who believes that they are superior to others around them usually as a result of their parents and/or other
• Furthermore, common boys' names have also been used metonymically to stand for boys and/or men in general, as in 'every Dick and Tom'.

Analogous uses and popular etymology

By analogy "boy" can also refer as an anthropomorphic term to a young male (or any male) of another animal, either in general or species-specific; in the last case it may even have a specific term, notably derived from a boy's name, such as "billy goat" for a 'boy' goat, or tomcat (known since 1809, for any male cat; but just Tom, applied to male kittens, is recorded since c. Anthropomorphism is the attribution of uniquely Human characteristics to non-human creatures and beings natural and supernatural phenomena material states and objects 1303)

Again by analogy "boy" can occasionally even refer to a 'male' object.

Some words contain 'boy' in English by mistake (folk etymology), actually referring to a (near) homophone such as French bois = "wood" (e. Folk etymology is a term used in two distinct ways A commonly held misunderstanding of the origin of a particular word a False etymology. g. in "low boy", a type of furniture, and in "tallboy", both furniture and a high glass or goblet). Furniture is the Mass noun for the movable objects which may support the human body (seating furniture and beds, provide storage or hold objects on horizontal A chalice (from Latin calix, cup borrowed from Greek kalyx, shell husk is a goblet intended to hold drink

Similar originally youth-related terms

• bachelor evolved in the 14th century from "knight in training" (possibly by the staff to train for swordfight) to "junior member of a guild or university" and by 1386 to "unmarried man"
• cadet
• garçon, the French for boy, a form of the archaic or non-standard gars (meaning (usually young) man), was adopted in various languages (in English reported since 1788) for a (food or drinks) waiter
• groom (not the etymologically unrelated homophone meaning "husband-to-be") originally meant "young male", possibly related to "gromet" (servant, especially ship's boy), and only in the 1667 was specifically used for a stable man or - boy (even the last not necessarily a youth). A bachelor is a man above the Age of majority who has never been married (see single) This article refers to the general definition of cadet A Cadet may also be a member of the Cadets, a historical Russian Political party. For other uses see Groom A groom is an employee who is responsible for some or all aspects of the welfare of a stable owner's Horses and/or Etymology is the study of the History of Words &mdash when they entered a language from what source and how their form and meaning have changed over time For other uses see Groom A groom is an employee who is responsible for some or all aspects of the welfare of a stable owner's Horses and/or
• infant, originally 'child too young to speak' evolved to infantryman 'foot soldier' (also footman) and, in Iberian language, to the princely style infante (this, like the original meaning, unisex). The Infantry is the oldest and most numerous of the Combat Arms in the Armed forces, and consists
• knave (Old English cnafa or cnapa, cognate with Dutch knaap, German Knabe, and Knappe, "boy"), originally "a male child", "a boy" (Chaucer, Canterbury Tales: Clerks Tale, I. The Canterbury Tales is a collection of stories written by Geoffrey Chaucer in the 14th century (two of them in Prose, the rest in verse) 388). Like Latin puer, the word was early used as a name for any boy or lad employed as a servant, and so of male servants in general (Chaucer: Pardoners Tale, 1. Geoffrey Chaucer (c 1343 – 25 October 1400? was an English author poet Philosopher, bureaucrat, courtier and Diplomat. The Pardoner's Tale is one of the The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer. 204), and especially a journeyman. A journeyman is a trader or crafter who has completed an Apprenticeship. The current use of the word "knave" for "a man who is dishonest and crafty, a rogue", was however an early usage, and is found in Layamon (c. 1205). In playing-cards the lowest court card of each suit, the jack, representing a medieval servant, is still often called the knave. A playing card is a piece of specially prepared heavy paper thin card or thin plastic figured with distinguishing motifs and used as one of a set for playing Card games
• The term junior = 'younger', antonym of senior, occurs in titles as 'lower grade', in terms of service years (not age) or even merely hierarchical, on criteria regardless of experience; equivalent is puisne. Puisne (from Old French puisne, modern puîné, later born inferior Lat
• The term lad', or in the Scottish diminutive form laddie (recorded since 1546): known since c. 1300 as ladde "foot soldier," also "young male servant" (attested as a surname from c. 1100), possibly from a Scandinavian language (cf. Norwegian -ladd, in compounds for "young man"), perhaps originally a plural of the pp. of lead (v. ), thus "one who is led" (by a lord); present meaning "boy, youth, young man" attested from c. 1440; in Northern England, and particularly in the county of Lancashire, males of all ages jokingly refer to themselves as being a Lancashire "lad". Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England, bounded to the west by the Irish Sea Lass(ie) is the female counterpart.
• minor now usually applies unisex, but historically there was often a different age limit (a remnant may be the age of sexual consent) or even a legal system in which women were never fully emancipated in the eyes of the law, and so passed from the dominion of their fathers to that of their husbands. In law the term minor (also infant or infancy) is used to refer to a person who is under the age in which one legally assumes Adulthood and is legally
• oac, the Old Irish for "youths", later came to mean "soldier", as in Gallóglaigh (gallowglass)
• Son, literally a parent's male child, has been used for a male 'junior' which could be called a boy, specifically in respect to a senior, especially a 'father figure', as a man often calls a (significantly younger) boy who addresses him as Sir, or a clergyman (still commonly addressed as father) used to address male laymen, especially those in his pastoral care; the diminutive sonny is reserved for young boys
• The terms squire and esquire, both from Old French esquier (modern French écuyer), itself from Latin scutarius "shield bearer", originally entered English as a boy in attendance to a knight (like page), but were socially promoted and lost their age-connotation. The gallowglass were a Mercenary Warrior élite among Gaelic-Norse clans residing in the Western Isles of Scotland (or SON DNA binding protein, also known as SON, is a human Gene. A Father Figure is usually considered to be an older man often one in a position of power or influence who arouses Emotions usually felt for a person's Father In Feudal or Medieval times a squire was a Man-at-arms in the service of a Knight, often as his Apprentice. Esquire (abbreviated Esq) is a term of British origin originally used to denote social status Knight is the English term for a social position originating in the Middle Ages.
• The term swain, from Old Norse sveinn, originally meant young man or servant, even as a Norwegian court title) entered English c. Swain is a traditional English Surname derived ultimately from the Old Norse Personal name Sveinn ( Sven, Sweyn meaning Old Norse is the North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age 1150 as "young man attendant upon a knight" i. e. squire, or junior rank, as in boatswain and coxswain, but now usually means a boyfriend (since 1585) or a country lad (farm laborer since 1579; especially a young shepherd, cognate with Old English swan 'swineherd'). A boatswain or bosun /ˈbosn̩/ is an unlicensed member of the Deck department of a Merchant ship. The coxswain (ˈkɒksən is the person in charge of a Boat, particularly its navigation and steering
• The term vassal stems from an Old Celtic root *wasso- "young man, squire" (e. A vassal (also called feodary or fedary) in the terminology that both preceded and accompanied the feudalism of Medieval Europe, g. Welsh gwas "youth, servant," Breton goaz "servant, vassal, man," Irish foss "servant").
• The term valet and its variant "varlet" also derive from "vassal" (above) and apply to male servants, sometimes specifically boys. Valet and Varlet are terms for Male servants who serve as personal attendants to their employer
• wag, now meaning "person fond of making jokes," is recorded in English since 1553; it derives from the verb to wag (i. e. to make a swinging movement), perhaps in this context as a shortening of waghalter "gallows bird," a person destined to swing in a noose or halter, soon applied humorously to mischievous children (the same notion remains in the Dutch expression voor galg en rad opgroeien), later to all young men without the naughty connotation, finally to witty persons
• the term youth itself is not uncommonly used specifically for a young male, notably between puberty and maturity

Boys in art

In classical (especially Greek) art, the dominant image of physical beauty, adopted even for the gods, is that of the male athlete, whether a ripe boy or a young adult, in Greek art often a kouros in the nude. Youth is the period from infancy or childhood to maturity Usage Around the world the terms "youth" " Adolescent " "teenager" and A sportsperson ( British and American English) or athlete (principally American English is any person who participates regularly in a Sport. A kouros (plural kouroi) is a representation of a male youth especially those dating from the Archaic period in Greece (about 650 BC to about 500 BC and especially Nudity is the state of wearing no Clothing. The term' "nudity" can also occasionally be used to refer to wearing significantly less clothing than expected Especially the Renaissance followed their example, here as in many things. The Renaissance (from French Renaissance, meaning "rebirth" Italian: Rinascimento, from re- "again" and nascere

Many mythological boys have frequently been represented in various arts, e. g. Venus' often mischievous son Cupid, himself a young god of love which he 'inflicts' on humans by shooting his arrows; in some style periods even multiplied as naked little boys called putti. In Roman mythology, Cupid (Latin cupido) is the god of Erotic Love and Beauty. The putto (pl putti) is a figure of a pudgy Human baby, almost always male often naked and having wings found especially in Italian Renaissance

In religious art, generally adults preponderate (except as extras), with certain marked, stereotypical exceptions such as the infant Jesus or angels which may even act as 'Christianized' putti. The Child Jesus, or Divine Infant, represents the infant Jesus until to the age of twelve An angel is a Spiritual Supernatural being found in many Religions Although the nature of angels and the tasks given to them vary from tradition to tradition

In portrait art, and generally in commissioned work (including funeral art), the subjects are usually determined by the wishes of the (adult) client, so minors are often in the minority, yet in wealthy families especially heirs are (re)presented as part of their social positioning in view of future marriage and succession, generally either as mini-adults or stereotypical youth, e. A portrait is a painting, photograph, Sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person in which the face and its expression is predominant g. at play or in cozy home scenes.

Some artists displayed a clear predeliction for scenes with boys, in certain cases (especially if frequently depicting revealing poses) believed to have to do with a homo-erotic taste, as is believed of the highly respected Old Master Caravaggio, or Henry Scott Tuke who kept producing such works even though the market circa 1900 was rather unappreciative. Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, usually just known as Caravaggio, (28 September 1571 – 18 July 1610 was an Italian Artist active in Rome Henry Scott Tuke, RA ( 12 June 1858 &ndash 13 March 1929) a British painter and photographer is best remembered

In music, boys' voices before they 'break', of a soprano register (specifically known as treble) unlike adult men (in a choir usually tenor and bass), have been most sought-after, especially where female voices were considered inappropriate as often in church and certain theatrical music - this even lead to the practice of physically trying to prevent their 'angelical' voices ever to break by surgically cutting short the hormonal drive to manhood: for centuries, castrato singers, who coupled adult strength and experience with a treble register, starred in contratenor parts, mainly in operatic styles. A boy soprano is a young male singer with an unchanged voice in the Soprano range A castrato is a man with a singing voice equivalent to that of a Soprano, Mezzo-soprano, or Contralto voice produced either by Castration

Roman-Egyptian funeral portrait of a young boy	Two Greek gods: Apollo, patron and model of beauty and athletes, and the young Hyacinthus; 16th c. Italian engraving by Jacopo Caraglio	Amor Victorious. Amor Vincit Omnia (meaning "Love Conquers All" known in English by a variety of names including Amor Victorious, Victorious Cupid 1602–03 Caravaggio shows Eros prevailing over other human endeavors: war, music, science, government.	The Bathers by Henry Scott Tuke. Henry Scott Tuke, RA ( 12 June 1858 &ndash 13 March 1929) a British painter and photographer is best remembered
Cupidon, by William-Adolphe Bouguereau, 1875	Sir Walter Raleigh and his son, 1602

See also

• Adolescence
• Boi (gender)
• Boy band
• Boy bishop
• Boy Scouts
• Child
• Girl
• Man
• Male

Sources and references

Buck, Carl Darling (1949). Cupidon (French for Cupid) is a Painting created by Artist William-Adolphe Bouguereau in 1875. William-Adolphe Bouguereau (November 30 1825 – August 19 1905 was a French academic painter. Sir Walter Raleigh or Ralegh (c 1552 – 29 October 1618 was a famed English writer Poet, Soldier, Courtier and Explorer Boi ( Plural: bois) is a term used within LGBT and Butch and femme communities to refer to a person's sexual and gender Boy bishop was a name given to a custom very widespread in the Middle Ages, whereby a boy was chosen for example among cathedral Choristers to parody the real Bishop Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide Youth movement with the stated aim of supporting young people in their physical mental and spiritual CHILD syndrome (or congenital hemidysplasia with ichthyosiform erythroderma and limb defects) is a genetic disorder A girl is any Female Human from birth through Childhood and Adolescence to attainment of Adulthood The term may also be used to mean A man is a Male Human. The term man (irregular plural Male (♂ refers to the sex of an organism or part of an organism which produces small mobile Gametes called spermatozoa. Carl Darling Buck ( October 2, 1866 - February 8, 1955) American Philologist, was born in Bucksport Maine. A Dictionary of Selected Synonyms in the Principal Indo-European Languages. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. ISBN 0-226-07937-6 (1988 reprint).  

• This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain. The Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition (1910–1911 is a 29-volume reference work that marked the beginning of the Encyclopædia Britannica The public domain is a range of abstract materials &ndash commonly referred to as Intellectual property &ndash which are not owned or controlled by anyone
• Etymology OnLine- here boy, see also other words
• H. H. Malincrodt, Latijn-Nederlands woordenboek (Latin-Dutch dictionary)
• Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary
• Boyhood Studies, website and journal for the study of boys
• Boyhood Studies Forum discusses news items, new research
• Historical Boys' Clothing

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