boet, noun
- Forms:
- Also with initial capital.
- Origin:
- Afrikaans, DutchShow more Afrikaans, from Dutch (Zealand dialect) boet youngster.
colloquial
See also ouboet.
1. ‘Mate’, ‘pal’, ‘friend’, ‘buddy’, used familiarly or affectionately of or to a man or boy:
a. As a term of address. Cf. boetie sense 2.
1920 R.Y. Stormberg Mrs Pieter de Bruyn 59This is the great day, Boet. Lucie said you could have your first meal to-day.
1991 A. Jay on Radio 5, 4 Jan.I’d like to live in New York for a couple of years, to age quickly. Ja boet, it’s true.
b. As a term of reference.
1974 B. Simon Joburg, Sis! 146Anyway, he hooks up with me and won’t let me go, says I’m his boet, his china, his all-time mate.
3. Brother; used familiarly or affectionately of or to one’s brother:
b. As a term of address.
1983 F.G. Butler Bursting World 240Jeff turns his head, and says in a loud voice: ‘Hi, Boet! Don’t forget! Give my love to Mom and Dad; tell them not to worry.’
4. figurative. rare. An Afrikaner: broeder sense 4.
1976 J. McClure Rogue Eagle 179‘Well, you know the boets,’ Tagg said, smiling to show he understood any prejudice on Buchanan’s part. ‘Afrikaners are an emotional lot.’
As a term of address.
As a term of reference.
‘Brother’: used before a man’s first name as an informal title; boeta sense a. Cf. bra sense 1.
Brother; used familiarly or affectionately of or to one’s brother:
As a term of reference.
As a term of address.
An Afrikaner: broeder sense 4.
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