Boo"by (?), n.; pl. Boobies (#). [Sp. bobe dunce, idiot; cf. L. balbus stammering, E. barbarous.]
1. A dunce; a stupid fellow.
2. Zool. (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.
Booby hatch Naut., a kind of wooden hood over a hatch, readily removable. -- Booby hut, a carriage body put upon sleigh runners. [Local, U. S.] Bartlett. -- Booby hutch, a clumsy covered carriage or seat, used in the eastern part of England. Forby. -- Booby trap, a schoolboy's practical joke, as a shower bath when a door is opened.
© Webster 1913.
Boo"by (?), a. Having the characteristics of a booby; stupid.
© Webster 1913. | 
