BUOY


Meaning of BUOY in English

I. ˈbüi, ˈbu̇i, ˈbȯi — ˈbȯi is usual in pronunc of “life buoy” noun

( -s )

Etymology: Middle English boye, from (assumed) Middle French boie (whence Middle French & French bouée buoy), of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German bouhhan sign — more at beacon

1. : float I 4 ; especially : an object floating in a body of water and moored to the bottom to mark a channel or to point out the position of something beneath the water (as an anchor, rock, or shoal)

2. : life buoy

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buoy 1

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II. verb

( -ed/-ing/-s )

Etymology: in sense vt 1, from buoy (I) ; in other senses, probably from Spanish boyar to float, from boya buoy, from (assumed) Middle French boie

transitive verb

1. : to provide with or mark by a buoy

buoy an anchor

buoy a channel

2.

a. : to keep afloat on a liquid : keep from sinking — usually used with up

the raft was buoyed up by airtight oil drums

also : to keep floating in the air — usually used with up

for a moment the falling leaf was buoyed up by a rising air current

b. : support , sustain — usually used with up

with a patience buoyed only by the stimulus of a great idea — Waldemar Kaempffert

buoyed up during the trying period by high hopes of recovery

an economy buoyed by the dramatic postwar growth of industry — Time

3.

a. archaic : raise , lift — usually used with up

b. : to raise the spirits of : make happier (as after a period of emotional depression) — usually used with up

the waltz buoyed her up — Scott Fitzgerald

intransitive verb

1. obsolete : to swell up : flood up — usually used with up

2. : to come to the surface of a liquid

bound and thrown into the water … they buoyed up like a cork — American Guide Series: Connecticut

Webster's New International English Dictionary.      Новый международный словарь английского языка Webster.