booby Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun an ignorant or foolish person
    dummy; dope; pinhead; boob; dumbbell.
  2. noun small tropical gannet having a bright bill or bright feet or both

WordNet

Boo"by noun
Etymology
Sp. bobe dunce, idiot; cf. L. balbus stammering, E. barbarous.
Wordforms
plural Boobies
Definitions
  1. A dunce; a stupid fellow.
  2. (Zoöl.) (a) A swimming bird (Sula fiber or S. sula) related to the common gannet, and found in the West Indies, nesting on the bare rocks. It is so called on account of its apparent stupidity. The name is also sometimes applied to other species of gannets; as, S. piscator, the red-footed booby. (b) A species of penguin of the antarctic seas.
Boo"by adjective
Definitions
  1. Having the characteristics of a booby; stupid.

Webster 1913