Meanings
plural boyhoods
- countableuncountableThe state or condition of being a boy.
And boyhood is a summer sun Whose waning is the dreariest one — For all we live to know is known And all we seek to keep hath flown — […]
1829, Edgar Allan Poe, “Tamerlane”, in Al Aaraaf, Tamerlane and Minor Poems1 more example
It is certainly my personal favourite, for it was by way of Hardwick's great Doric arch that I first sampled the roar and clatter of London streets, the trip being a boyhood reward for achieving (unexpected) success in a school examination!
1951 October, R. S. McNaught, “Lines of Approach”, in Railway Magazine, page 703 - countableThe childhood of a boy.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*bʰā-
- Proto-Germanic*bō-
- Proto-West Germanic*bōjō
- Old English*bōia
- Middle Englishboye
- Englishboy
- Proto-Indo-European*keyt-
- Proto-Germanic*haiduz
- Englishboyhood
Translations
Esperanto knabeco
- knabecoThe state or period of being a boy
Finnish poikuus
- poikuusThe state or period of being a boy
French garçonnité, enfance
- garçonnitéThe state or period of being a boy
- enfanceThe state or period of being a boy
Polish chłopięctwo, lata chłopięce
- chłopięctwoThe state or period of being a boy
- lata chłopięceThe state or period of being a boy
Portuguese meninice
- meniniceThe state or period of being a boy
Russian о́трочество
- о́трочество (ótročestvo)The state or period of being a boy
Spanish niñez
- niñezThe state or period of being a boy
Cite this entry
boyhood. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/boyhood
“boyhood.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/boyhood. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “boyhood,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/boyhood.
Source: boyhood on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.