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
[s]buoy.jpg[/s] [
buoy 1
]
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