tomboy
Plural: tomboys
Noun
- A girl who enjoys activities traditionally associated with boys.
- a girl who behaves in a boyish manner
- A girl who behaves in a typically boyish manner.
- A butch lesbian.
Examples
- His sister, his dearest and only playmate, is a tomboy at heart.
- She was the tomboy of the Scrabble club, always ready for a tough word challenge.
Origin / 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”.
Antonyms
girly girl, janegirl, macho man
Scrabble Score: 13
tomboy: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Wordtomboy: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
tomboy: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary