ˈbȯist(ə)rəs adjective
Etymology: Middle English boistrous rough, coarse, alteration of boistous, perhaps from Old French boisteos lame, rough (said of a road), from boister to limp (from boiste knee joint, box) + -eos -ous
1. obsolete
a. : of a strong durable quality
the leathern outside, boisterous as it was, gave way — John Dryden
b. : painfully rough
love … is too rough, too rude, too boisterous — Shakespeare
c. : massive , cumbrous
his boisterous club — Edmund Spenser
2.
a. : noisily turbulent : loudmouthed and rough in behavior : rowdy , brawling , clamorous
a boisterous mob
the boisterous shantytowns of gold-rush days — American Guide Series: California
b. : full of exuberant uninhibited and often excessive animal spirits : completely unrestrained
boisterous laughter
children enjoying a boisterous play period
3.
a. : rough, stormy and agitated : marked by tumultuous violence and fury : not calm
boisterous winds and waves
b. obsolete : savagely fierce : truculent
your indecent and boisterous treatment of this man — Alexander Pope
Synonyms: see vociferous