boy [ME] A boy was originally ‘a male servant’, but the origin of the word is obscure. It is apparently identical to East Frisian boy ‘young gentleman’ and may be identical to Dutch boef ‘knave’. Although boy is used positively and indulgently in phrases such as that’s my boy [L16th] and one of the boys [M19th], the connotation of lower status persisted alongside this in its use as a form of address for summoning and giving orders to slaves or servants. This negative association has connections with the phrase good ole boy used to refer to a white male of the southern US portrayed as believing in simple pleasures, but with deep social and racial prejudices [L19th]. See also toy.