boo-boo
/ˈbu(ˌ)bu/ noun, verb
Forms boo-boos boo-booing boo-booed booboo boo boo
- noun (countable, colloquial, often childish) A mistake or error.
- noun (countable, colloquial, childish, by or to young children) A minor injury, such as a cut or a bruise.
- noun (uncountable, colloquial, childish, by or to young children) Feces.
- verb (colloquial, childish, intransitive) To make a mistake.
- verb (colloquial, childish, by or to young children, transitive) To defecate.
Synonyms
blooper blunder misstep fluff oopsy slip aberration bloomer boner break clanger cock-up disadventure error fault faux pas floater flub fuckup gaffe bungle pratfall foul-up botch
Etymology
* Possibly from bug-a-boo, an imaginary evil goblin.
* Possibly from bubo, a swollen lymph node especially obvious in sufferers of bubonic plague.
* Possibly from the sound a baby or young toddler might make.
* Possibly borrowed from French bobo (“boo-boo”)
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 — from the Wiktionary entry “boo-boo”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details