bu

See also: Appendix:Variations of "bu"

Languages (71)

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Page categories

English

Noun

bu

Abbreviation of bushel, a unit of weight or dry measure.
Clipping of bureau.
(Can we add an example for this sense?)

Anagrams

UB

Acehnese

Acehnese Spelling
EBAYD	bu
Husaini	bu
Jawoe	بور

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈbu/
Hyphenation: bu

Noun

bu (Jawoe spelling بور)

rice
bu sijuek ― cold rice

Bu ka habéh dum. ― The rice has been finished.
food, meal in general
Ka lheueh pajôh bu? ― Have you eaten yet?
(uncommon) livelihood
mita bu ― to make a living

References

“bu”, in Kamus Aceh Indonesia [Acehnese-Indonesian Dictionary] (Seri K; 85), Seri 1. A-L [Volume 1. A-L] (eBook; overall work in Indonesian), Jakarta: Pusat Pembinaan dan Pengembangan Bahasa, Departemen Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan, 1985, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 100
“bu”, in Kamus Basa Acèh = Kamus Bahasa Aceh = Acehnese-Indonesian English Thesaurus. (Series C; 151), Series C, Volume 151 (eBook; overall work in English and Indonesian), Canberra: Pacific Linguistics, 1999, →ISBN, →ISSN, page 123
“بور”, in Woordenboek der Atjehsche Taal [Dictionary of the Acehnese Language]‎^[1] (overall work in Dutch), Den Haag: 's Gravenhage : Martinus Nijhoff, 1889, page 42

Äiwoo

Etymology

From Proto-Oceanic *boŋi, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *bəʀŋi.

Noun

bu

night, nighttime (period between sunset and sunrise)
Antonym: nubula

Itevakänulongopu denätei bu.
We like to go fishing at night.
(by extension) night, evening (period during darkness spent at a particular activity) (especially with greetings)
Bu mipäko!
Good night!
(in compounds, by extension) a period of time, a day (as reckoned by nights)
nyidâbu ― a day (literally, “a night-period”)

Verb

bu (stative)

to be night, to be dark
Near-synonyms: nâgulo, eagulobe

Ngaa lâ butowâ, nelo lâ lägäkâ.
When night came, the tide was low.

Derived terms

bu mipäko! (“good night!”, interjection)
bugulo (“yesterday”)
bugulo wângâ (“day before yesterday”)
bulaape (“tomorrow”)
bulaape eângâ (“day after tomorrow”)
bulokuwopo (sand prawn caught with a light at night)
dâbu (“day”)
nyidâbu (“day”)

References

Næss, Åshild (2017), “bu”, in A short dictionary of Äiwoo (Studies in the Languages of Island Melanesia; A-PL 35)‎^[2], Canberra, ACT: Asia-Pacific Linguistics, College of Asia and the Pacific, Australian National University, page 26
Ross, Malcolm; Næss, Åshild (December 2007), “An Oceanic origin for Äiwoo, the language of the Reef Islands?”, in Oceanic Linguistics‎^[3], volume 46, number 2, Honolulu, HI: University of Hawaii Press, →DOI, pages 456–98

Akan

Pronunciation

This entry needs pronunciation information. If you are familiar with the IPA then please add some!

Verb

bu (negative mmu) (Twi)

to break
to swindle, defraud
Synonyms: bu kwasea, daadaa, to bradɛ
to respect
Synonym: de buo ma
to outwit

Derived terms

bu ano
bu kwasea (“to con”)
bu mu (“to flex”)
bu nkotodwe (“to kneel”)
bu so (“to infringe”)
obuo (“respect”)

Amanab

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /mbu/

Noun

bu

water

References

John R. Roberts, Namia and Amanab Grammar Essentials (1992, SIL)

Amasi

Noun

bú

dog (canine)

References

Africana Marburgensia (1973)

Azerbaijani

Other scripts
Cyrillic		бу
Arabic

Etymology

From Proto-Turkic *bū (“this”)^[1] Compare Old Turkic 𐰉𐰆 (b¹w /⁠bu⁠/, “this”).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /bu/
Audio (Baku): (file)

Determiner

bu

this, these
Bu uşaqlar məktəbə gedirlər. ― These kids are going to school.

Mən bu uşağın atası deyiləm. ― I am not the father of this child.

Usage notes

When used as a determiner modifying nouns, bu is not declined for case and number, as opposed to when it is used as a pronoun (see below).

Pronoun

bu

this
Bunu bura kim gətirib? ― Who brought this here?.

Ya bunlarla əməkdaşlıq etmək lazımdır, ya onlarla. Hamısı ilə yox.
We should collaborate either with these or with those. Not with all.
he, she

References

Orucov, Əliheydər, editor (2006), “bu”, in Azərbaycan dilinin izahlı lüğəti [Explanatory Dictionary of the Azerbaijani Language]‎^[4] (in Azerbaijani), 2nd edition, volume 1, Baku: Şərq-Qərb, page 352
Altun Kitab (2013–), “bu”, in Azleks

^ . Starostin, Sergei; Dybo, Anna; Mudrak, Oleg (2003), “*bu(-n)”, in Etymological dictionary of the Altaic languages (Handbuch der Orientalistik; VIII.8), Leiden; Cologne; New York: E.J. Brill

Bukawa

Noun

bu

water

References

William Eckermann, A Descriptive Grammar of the Bukawa Language of the Morobe Province of Papua New Guinea (2007)

Crimean Tatar

From Proto-Turkic *bū (“this”).

Pronoun

bu

this

Dalmatian

Etymology

From Latin bōs, bovem.

Noun

bu m (plural buč)

ox

Danish

Verb

bu

imperative of bue

French

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /by/
Audio (Canada (Shawinigan)): (file)
Homophones: bue, bues, bus, but, bût

Participle

bu (feminine bue, masculine plural bus, feminine plural bues)

past participle of boire
J'ai bu deux verres de vin. ― I have drunk two glasses of wine.

As-tu bu? ― Have you been drinking?

Descendants

Réunion Creole French: bi

Gresi

Noun

bu

water

References

Clemens Voorhoeve (1975), Languages of Irian Jaya Checklist, Canberra: Pacific Linguistics, →DOI, page 111

Guinea-Bissau Creole

Etymology

From Portuguese vós. Cognate with Kabuverdianu bo.

Pronoun

bu

you (second person singular).

Gullah

Etymology

From Djerma bu.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /bu/

Adjective

bu

dead

References

Lorenzo Dow Turner, Africanisms in the Gullah Dialect (1969)

Indonesian

Etymology

Clipping of ibu.

Noun

bu (plural bu-bu)

(slightly informal, between two speakers) mam

Irish

Particle

bu

superseded spelling of ba

Mutation

Mutated forms of bu
radical	lenition	eclipsis
bu	bhu	mbu

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Modern Irish.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

Isoko

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Edoid *ɓu.

Verb

bu

to be plentiful, to be abundant.

Derived terms

ibuobu

Italian

Etymology 1

From Japanese 歩 (bu).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈbu/
Rhymes: -u
Hyphenation: bù

Noun

bu m (invariable)

a unit of length equal to 1.818 metres (歩)
a unit or area equal to 3.306 metres² (歩)

Etymology 2

From Japanese 分 (bu).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈbu/
Rhymes: -u
Hyphenation: bù

Noun

bu m (invariable)

a tenth (decimal) (分)

Jabem

Noun

bu

water

Japanese

Romanization

bu

The hiragana syllable ぶ (bu) or the katakana syllable ブ (bu) in Hepburn romanization.

Kapauri

Noun

bu

water

References

Clemens Voorhoeve (1975), Languages of Irian Jaya Checklist, Canberra: Pacific Linguistics, →DOI, page 115

Kemtuik

Noun

bu

water

References

Clemens Voorhoeve (1975), Languages of Irian Jaya Checklist, Canberra: Pacific Linguistics, →DOI, page 111

Lower Sorbian

Verb

bu

second/third-person singular passive of byś

Makasar

Alternative forms

buwu

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *bubu, from Proto-Austronesian *bubu.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /bu/, [ɓu]
Hyphenation: bu

Noun

bu (Lontara spelling ᨅᨘ or 𑻤𑻴, definite bua)

fish trap

Compounds

Malay

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /bu/

Noun

bu

mother

Maltese

Etymology

From Arabic أَبُو (ʔabū), construct state of أَب (ʔab, “father”).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /buː/
Rhymes: -uː

Noun

bu m (plural abwa or but, female equivalent omm)

(obsolete) father
Synonym: missier

Usage notes

The word had the same syntactic constraints as ħu (“brother”), which compare.
As in Arabic, the word was often used figuratively to associate a person with some object or activity. Therefore, in the remaining compounds bu typically means “the one with...”, “the one that is...”, “the one who always...”, rather than literally “father”.

Derived terms

Mandarin

Romanization

bu

nonstandard spelling of bū
nonstandard spelling of bú
nonstandard spelling of bǔ
nonstandard spelling of bù

Usage notes

Transcriptions of Mandarin into the Latin script often do not distinguish between the critical tonal differences employed in the Mandarin language, using words such as this one without indication of tone.

Mekwei

Noun

bu

water

References

Clemens Voorhoeve (1975), Languages of Irian Jaya Checklist, Canberra: Pacific Linguistics, →DOI, page 111

Middle High German

Alternative forms

bou

Etymology

Inherited from Old High German bū, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *būą. From būwen.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): (before 13^th CE) /ˈbuː/

Noun

bū m or n

building
Dem manne ist baʒ mit bouwe dan er mit swerten houwe ab den vînden ritters prîs.
(please add an English translation of this usage example)

Declension

Declension of bū (strong masculine without umlaut)

	singular			plural
	indef.	def.	noun	def.	noun
nominative	ein	dër	bū	die	būwe
genitive	eines	dës	būwes	dër	būwe
dative	eime	dëm	būwe	dën	būwen
accusative	einen	dën	bū	die	būwe

Declension of bū (strong neuter with null plural)

	singular			plural
	indef.	def.	noun	def.	noun
nominative	ein	daȥ	bū	diu	bū
genitive	eines	dës	būwes	dër	būwe
dative	eime	dëm	būwe	dën	būwen
accusative	ein	daȥ	bū	diu	bū

Descendants

German: Bau

References

Köbler, Gerhard (2014), “bū”, in Mittelhochdeutsches Wörterbuch‎^[6] (in German), 3rd edition

Middle Welsh

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /bʉ/

Verb

bu

third-person singular preterite of bot

Mutation

Mutated forms of bu
radical	soft	nasal	aspirate
bu	uu / vu	mu	unchanged

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in Middle Welsh.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

Mizo

Etymology

From Proto-Kuki-Chin *buu (“nest”).

Noun

bu

nest
bunch

Derived terms

lehkhabu

Mlap

Noun

bu

water

References

Clemens Voorhoeve (1975), Languages of Irian Jaya Checklist, Canberra: Pacific Linguistics, →DOI, page 111

Nga La

Etymology

From Proto-Kuki-Chin *ɓuu, from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *pru(w).

Noun

bu

nest

References

Matu (Chin) Dictionary by Ropna Saruum, Matupi 2007

Nias

Etymology

From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *buhək, from Proto-Austronesian *bukəS.

Noun

bu (mutated form mbu)

References

Sundermann, Heinrich. 1905. Niassisch-deutsches Wörterbuch. Moers: Bataviaasch Genootschap van Kunsten en Wetenschappen, p. 37.

Nimboran

Noun

bu

water

References

Clemens Voorhoeve (1975), Languages of Irian Jaya Checklist, Canberra: Pacific Linguistics, →DOI, page 110

Norman

Verb

bu

past participle of baithe

Norwegian Bokmål

Norwegian Bokmål Wikipedia has an article on:

bu

Wikipedia ^nb

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /bʉː/, [bʉː]
Rhymes: -ʉː
Homophone: -bu
Hyphenation: bu

Etymology 1

PIE word
*bʰúHt

Inherited from Old Norse búa (“to live, dwell; prepare”), from Proto-Germanic *būaną (“to dwell, reside”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰúHt, ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root *bʰuH- (“to be, grow”).

Compare Norwegian Nynorsk bu, Icelandic búa, Faroese búgva, Swedish bo and Danish bo (“to live, dwell”), as well as Dutch bouwen and German bauen (“to build”).

Alternative forms

bo (main form in the living and dwelling senses)

Verb

bu (imperative bu, present tense bur, simple past budde, supine budd, past participle budd, present participle buende)

(dialectal) alternative form of bo (“to live, dwell, reside”)
De vil bu på gården hele livet. ― They want to live on the farm all their lives.
(dialectal, figuratively) alternative form of bo (“to be present, latent, or concealed within someone”)
Det bur mye styrke i henne. ― There is a great deal of strength within her.
(dialectal, archaic) to prepare, make ready
bu seg — to prepare oneself, get ready
De har begynt å bu seg på våronna. ― They have begun preparing for the spring farm work.
- 1921, Sigrid Undset, Husfrue, page 403:
  … bu sig til en Bjørgvinsreise
  … prepare oneself for a journey to Bergen
- 1923, Hans Aanrud, Fortællinger I, page 38:
  … faa budd hende …
  … get her prepared …
1. (adjectival past participle) budd — prepared, ready
  - 1920, Peter Egge, Inde i Fjordene, page 281:
    … komme igjen bedre budd …
    … return better prepared …
  - 1949, Johan Borgen, Vikinger. Eventyr, page 38:
    … vel væpnet og budd …
    … well armed and prepared …
  være budd på — to be prepared for, be ready for
  - 1920, Peter Egge, Inde i Fjordene, page 202:
    … være budd paa …
    … be prepared for …

Usage notes

In the senses “to live, dwell” and “to be present within someone”, bo is the usual form in Bokmål, while bu is dialectal. The meaning “to prepare, make ready” and the expression bu seg belong specifically to bu and are dialectal or archaic.

Etymology 2

Inherited from Old Norse bú (“dwelling, household, farm, estate”), from Proto-Germanic *būą (“building, dwelling”). The Proto-Germanic noun is from or related to *būaną (“to dwell, reside”); the exact derivational relationship is uncertain, so a deeper Proto-Indo-European derivation is not asserted here.

Compare Norwegian Nynorsk bu (“household; livestock”), Icelandic bú (“household, farm”), Faroese bú (“household, possessions”), Swedish bo (“dwelling, nest”) and Danish bo (“estate, household”).

Alternative forms

bo (main form in the modern legal-estate sense)

Noun

bu n (definite singular buet, indefinite plural bu, definite plural bua or buene)

(law) an estate; property, rights and obligations legally regarded as a single unit
De gjorde opp buet etter dødsfallet. ― They settled the estate after the death.
(archaic) a dwelling, home, household
De satte opp et lite bu og ble boende der. ― They established a small household and remained there.
- 1921, Sigrid Undset, Husfrue, page 387:
  … bor i bu med
  … lives in the same household with
- 1922, Sigrid Undset, Korset, page 505:
  … bygge dere bu …
  … build yourselves a home …
sette bu — (dialectal) to establish a home, set up house
- 1923, Hans Aanrud, Jo-karerne i Skarvangen, page 7:
  … sætte bu der indenfor …
  … set up a home in there …
- 1999, Arnfinn Haga, Valdres 1940, page 59:
  … nygift og hadde nettopp satt bu
  … newly married and had just set up a home
(dialectal, archaic) property, possessions, wealth
Han hadde mistet nesten hele buet. ― He had lost almost all his property.
(dialectal, archaic) livestock, cattle
1. especially a farm's herd of cattle
  - 1926, Olaf Benneche, Den dyre muld, page 31:
    [hjuringene] kom sent heim med buet
    [the herders] came home late with the herd

Usage notes

In the modern legal sense, bo is the usual form. The form bu also preserves older and dialectal senses referring to a household, possessions and livestock.

Etymology 3

PIE word
*bʰúHt

Inherited from Old Norse búð (“dwelling; booth, temporary hut”), a variant of Old Norse bóð, from Proto-Germanic *bōþō (“building, hut; dwelling”), a nominal derivative of Proto-Germanic *būaną (“to dwell, reside”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰúHt, ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root *bʰuH- (“to be, grow”).

Compare Norwegian Nynorsk bu (“hut, shed”), Icelandic búð, Faroese búð, Swedish bod, Danish bod, German Bude and English booth (“booth, hut; small shop”).

Noun

bu f or m (definite singular bua or buen, indefinite plural buer, definite plural buene)

a small, simple hut, especially one used as a temporary place to stay
Han har ei bu hvor han ligger og fisker om sommeren. ― He has a hut where he stays while fishing in the summer.
(military, colloquial, historical) a military detention cell or room
Synonym: kakebu (“military detention cell”)

Soldaten fikk tre dager i bua. ― The soldier received three days in the military detention cell.

Derived terms

fiskebu (“fishing hut”)
kakebu (“military detention cell”)
rorbu (“fisherman's cabin”)
seterbu (“mountain-pasture hut”)

Etymology 4

PIE word
*bʰúHt

Borrowed from Danish bod (“booth, stall; shop”), from Old Danish bōð (“booth, stall”), from Old East Norse bóð (“booth, dwelling”), from Proto-Germanic *bōþō (“building, hut; dwelling”), a nominal derivative of Proto-Germanic *būaną (“to dwell, reside”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰúHt, ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root *bʰuH- (“to be, grow”).

Compare Swedish bod, German Bude and English booth (“booth, stall; small shop”).

Alternative forms

bod (main form)

Noun

bu f or m (definite singular bua or buen, indefinite plural buer, definite plural buene)

a small storage room, shed or building for food, equipment or similar items
Redskapene står i bua. ― The tools are kept in the storage room.
1. a food-and-milk storage room, formerly also a room used for making cheese, in a mountain-pasture house
  Maten ble oppbevart i bua på setra. ― The food was stored in the storage room at the mountain pasture.
(colloquial, rare) a small shop, store, sales outlet
Han gikk bort på bua for å handle. ― He went over to the shop to buy something.
- 1915, Knut Hamsun, Segelfoss By, volume I, page 5:
  … Per paa bua … Theodor paa bua
  … Per at the shop … Theodor at the shop
- 1950 September 4, Verdens Gang, page 6:
  … handlet for på bua …
  … used for shopping at the store …
a warehouse, storehouse
Varene ble kjørt rett til bua. ― The goods were taken directly to the warehouse.

Etymology 5

Probably shortened from haugbu (“wight dwelling in a burial mound”), from Old Norse haugbúi (“dweller in a burial mound”). The second element is Old Norse búi (“dweller, inhabitant; farmer”), from Proto-Germanic *būô (“dweller, inhabitant”), ultimately related to the Proto-Indo-European root *bʰuH- (“to be, grow”).

Compare the related inhabitant-forming elements Norwegian Nynorsk -bu, Swedish -bo and Danish -bo (“inhabitant of a place”).

Alternative forms

bue (variant of the folkloric noun)

Noun

bu m (definite singular buen, indefinite plural buer, definite plural buene)

(folklore) a wight, subterranean supernatural being traditionally said to carry off children
Synonym: haugbu (“wight dwelling in a burial mound”)

De gamle fortellingene advarte barna mot buen. ― The old stories warned the children about the wight.
- 1941, Johan Theodor Storaker, Sagn og Gaader, page 61:
  … saa kommer buen og tager dig
  … then the wight will come and take you
(figuratively) an odd, strange or dirty person
Han så ut som en riktig bu etter arbeidet. ― He looked like a real scruff after the work.
- 1941, Johan Theodor Storaker, Sagn og Gaader, page 61:
  … kalder man børn og boksne «buver» … naar de ere skidne …
  … children and adults are called “buver” … when they are dirty …

Etymology 6

An onomatopoeic interjection, used in imitation of animal calls; compare bø. The use expressing audience or crowd disapproval is influenced by or borrowed from English boo (“boo”).

Interjection

bu

an imitation of an animal's call, especially the lowing or roaring of cattle; moo
Kua sa «bu». ― The cow went “moo”.

stange bu — (children's language) a game in which two people say bu and bump their heads together
boo; a cry used by an audience or crowd to express disapproval, displeasure or derision
Publikum ropte «bu!» da avgjørelsen ble kunngjort. ― The audience shouted “boo!” when the decision was announced.

Derived terms

bue (“to boo”)

Etymology 7

Abbreviation of bushel (“bushel”), itself from English bushel (“bushel”), from Middle English busshel (“bushel”), from Old French boissel (“bushel”), from Old French boisse (“grain measure; one sixth of a bushel”), from Medieval Latin bostia (“handful”), from Gaulish *bostyā, from Proto-Celtic *bostā (“palm, fist”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʷosdeh₂, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʷésdos (“branch”).

Noun

bu m

(metrology) symbol for the bushel, a British and American unit of dry volume

Etymology 8

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

bu

imperative of bue (“to curve, arch”)

Etymology 9

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

bu

imperative of bue (“to boo”)

References

“bu” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
“bu” in Norwegian Academy Dictionary (NAOB).
“bu – skur” in Store norske leksikon
“bu – i stedsnavn” in Store norske leksikon

Anagrams

-bu

Norwegian Nynorsk

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /bʉː/

Etymology 1

From Old Norse búa (“to prepare, finish, make preparations, equip”), from Proto-Germanic *būaną. Cognate with Old English būan, English buwa, Old Saxon būan and Old High German būan (whence German bauen).

Verb

bu (present tense bur, past tense budde, past participle butt/budd, passive infinitive buast, present participle buande, imperative bu)

(intransitive) to live (have permanent residence), stay
(intransitive) to be, to dwell, to be in
(transitive) to prepare

Derived terms

Etymology 2

From Old Norse bú n, from Proto-Germanic *būą n (“building, dwelling”).

Noun

bu n (definite singular buet, indefinite plural bu, definite plural bua)

an estate, belongings

Derived terms

Related terms

bu (verb)
byggja, byggje, bygga, bygge (verb)

Etymology 3

From Old Norse búð, from Proto-Germanic *bōþō. Akin to English booth.

Alternative forms

bud (non-standard since 1917)
(shop): budra, budar (Rodi cant)

Noun

bu f (definite singular bua, indefinite plural buer, definite plural buene)

booth, stall, small storage room or building
(rare) a shop or a workshop

Declension

Declension of bu (strong ō-stem)
feminine	singular		plural
feminine	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative-accusative	bu	bua	buer	buene
compound-genitive	―	―	―	―

Derived terms

Etymology 4

From English boo.

Interjection

bu

boo! Used to indicate derision or disapproval.

Derived terms

bua, bue (verb)

References

“bu” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Anagrams

-bu, ub.

Old English

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /buː/
Rhymes: -uː

Determiner

bū

nominative/accusative neuter plural of bēġen / bœ̄ġen

Old French

Noun

bu oblique singular, m (oblique plural bus, nominative singular bus, nominative plural bu)

chest; thorax

References

Frédéric Godefroy (1880–1902), “bu”, in Dictionnaire de l’ancienne langue française et de tous ses dialectes du IX^e au XV^e siècle […], Paris: F[riedrich] Vieweg; Émile Bouillon, →OCLC.

Pa

Noun

bu

(woman's) breast

References

transnewguinea.org, citing McElhanon and Voorhoeve (1970), Shaw (1973) and Shaw (1986)
Possible Cognates Between Kamula and Pa, chart 10, page 16, in Papers in New Guinea Linguistics, issues 17-20 (1990)

Pangutaran Sama

Noun

bu

fur

Pnar

Etymology

From Proto-Khasian *buː, from Proto-Mon-Khmer *ʔbuuʔ; related to ymbu (“breast”). Cognate with Khmer បៅ (baw), Old Mon 'bow (whence modern Mon မဴ), Vietnamese bú.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /bu/

Verb

bu

to suck, to suckle

Polish

Etymology

Onomatopoeic.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈbu/
Audio: (file)
Rhymes: -u
Syllabification: bu

Interjection

bu

an onomatopoeic interjection imitating the sound of crying, usually written with two or more 'u's

Portuguese

Pronunciation

(Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈbu/

(Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈbu/

Interjection

bu!

boo (loud exclamation intended to scare someone)

Réunion Creole French

Adjective

bu

(High Creole) alternative form of bi (“drunk”)

References

Armand, Alain (1987), Dictionnaire Kréol rénioné/Français [Reunionese Creole-French Dictionary] (in French), Océan Éditions, →ISBN, page 47

Romagnol

Verb

bu

past participle of avér (“to have”)

Romanian

Etymology

Onomatopoeic.

Interjection

bu

sound made by an ox
hoot; sound made by an owl

Rukai

Noun

bu

bow (weapon for shooting arrows)

Salar

Etymology

From Proto-Turkic *bū.

Noun

bu (3rd person possessive [please provide], plural [please provide])

this

References

Ma, Chengjun; Han, Lianye; Ma, Weisheng (December 2010), “bu”, in 米娜瓦尔·艾比布拉 [Minavar Abibra], editor, 撒维汉词典 [Sā-Wéi-Hàn cídiǎn, Salar-Uyghur-Chinese dictionary] (in Chinese), 1st edition, Beijing, →ISBN

Scottish Gaelic

Etymology

From the older form budh, from Old Irish ba.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /pu/, /pə/
Hyphenation: bu

Verb

bu

past/conditional of is

Usage notes

Before a word beginning with a vowel or fh, the form b' is used.

References

Mark, Colin (2003), “bu”, in The Gaelic–English dictionary, London: Routledge, →ISBN, page 96

Senhaja de Srair

Prefix

bu (Tifinagh spelling ⴱⵓ)

alternative spelling of bu-

Sentani

Noun

bu

water

References

Cowan, H. K. J. (1965), Grammar of the Sentani Language‎^[8]

Serbo-Croatian

Verb

bu (Cyrillic spelling бу)

(Kajkavian) third-person singular future of biti

Spanish

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈbu/ [ˈbu]
Rhymes: -u
Syllabification: bu

Interjection

bu

boo!

Swedish

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /bʉː/
Rhymes: -ʉː

Interjection

bu

boo; a loud exclamation intended to scare someone, usually a child.
Bu! Blev du rädd?
Boo! Were you scared?
boo; an exclamation used to indicate derision or disapproval of what has just occurred.

Derived terms

bua
säga varken bu eller bä (“say neither this nor that (not express an opinion)”)

References

“bu”, in Svensk ordbok [Dictionary of Swedish] (in Swedish)
“bu”, in Svenska Akademiens ordlista [Wordlist of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)
“bu”, in Svenska Akademiens ordbok [Dictionary of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)

Tabla

Noun

bu

water

References

Kenneth Gregerson, Margaret Hartzler, Towards a Reconstruction of Proto-Tabla-Sentani Phonology, Oceanic Linguistics, volume 26, numéro 1/2, 1987, pages 1-29, page 7

Talysh

Etymology

Cognate with Persian بو (bu).

Noun

bu

smell

Tarao

Noun

bu

rice

Derived terms

bular (“famine”)

References

Chungkham Yashwanta Singh (2002), Tarao Grammar (in Tarao)

Tat

Etymology

Cognate with Persian بو (bu).

Noun

bu

smell

Tedim Chin

Etymology

From Proto-Kuki-Chin *ɓuu, from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *pru(w).

Noun

bu

nest

References

Zomi Ordbog based on the work of D.L. Haokip

Turkish

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Turkic *bū

Old Anatolian Turkish بو (bu)

Ottoman Turkish بو (bu)

Turkish bu

Inherited from Ottoman Turkish بو (bu, “this”), from Old Anatolian Turkish بو (bu, “this”), from Proto-Turkic *bū (“this”). Cognate with Azerbaijani bu. Compare Old Turkic 𐰉𐰆 (b¹w /⁠bu⁠/, “this”).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /bu/
Audio: (file)

Pronoun

bu

this
Bu bir ev. ― This is a house.

Bunu sevmedim. ― I did not like this.

Bunlar benim kitaplarım. ― These are my books.

Declension

Declension of bu
	singular	plural
nominative	bu	bunlar
definite accusative	bunu	bunları
dative	buna	bunlara
locative	bunda	bunlarda
ablative	bundan	bunlardan
genitive	bunun	bunların

Determiner

bu

this
Bu kitaplar benim. ― These books are mine.

Derived terms

Upper Sorbian

Verb

bu

second/third-person singular passive of być

Uzbek

Other scripts
Arabic	Afghan Uzbek	بو
Arabic	Yangi Imlo	بۇ
Cyrillic		бу
Latin		bu

Etymology

Inherited from Chagatai بو (bū /⁠bu⁠/, “this”), from Proto-Turkic *bū (“this”). Cognate with Uyghur بۇ / bu / бу; Turkish bu, etc.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /bu/, [bʊ]
Hyphenation: bu

Pronoun

bu (plural bular)

this (demonstrative pronoun used to indicate a thing in the immediate vicinity of the speaker)
Antonym: u

Determiner

bu

this
Antonym: u

Bu sahifada hozircha hech qanday matn yoʻq.
There is currently no text in this page. / This page currently has no text.

Derived terms

bugun (“today”)

Vietnamese

Pronunciation

(Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [ʔɓu˧˧]
(Huế) IPA^(key): [ʔɓʊw˧˧]
(Saigon) IPA^(key): [ʔɓʊw˧˧]

Etymology 1

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

bu • (𥮉) (classifier cái)

kind of chicken coop

Derived terms

chóp bu

Etymology 2

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

bu • (𡜵, 哺, 󰊿)

(uncommon, rustic Northern Vietnam) mom; mother
- 1925, Nguyễn Lân, Cậu bé nhà Quê, page 21:
  Bỗng đâu thấy có tiếng trẻ vừa khóc vừa gọi ầm ỹ: «Bu ơi !, bu ơi !, bu dậy đi !, bu ơi !, khổ quá giời ơi !! làm sao bu tôi không thưa thế này, bu ơi !»
  Suddenly there was a loud child's wail: "Mom! Please wake up! Mom! Oh god! Why aren't you answering me mom!"

Etymology 3

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Alternative forms

(Northern Vietnam) bâu (diphthongized)

Verb

bu • (咆, 蚫)

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) to assemble, to gather into one place

Derived terms

ruồi bu kiến đậu

Waigeo

Adjective

bu

white

Verb

-bu

(intransitive) to be white

Conjugation

Class IV conjugation of bu

		singular	dual	paucal	plural
1^st person	inclusive	yabu	tutabu	(a)tútabu	tabu
1^st person	exclusive	yabu	umabu	atúmabu	ámabu
2^nd person		nyabu	mumabu	matúmabu	mabu
3^rd person	animate	nabu	ulabu	atúlabu	labu
3^rd person	inanimate	ambu	sibu

References

Arnold, Laura (2018), Grammar of Ambel, an Austronesian language of Raja Ampat, west New Guinea (PhD thesis)‎^[9]

Wakhi

Etymology

From *dvu, related to Tajik ду (du).

Numeral

bu

two

Welsh

Noun

bu f (plural buaid or buon, diminutive buyn)

cow, ox
Synonyms: buwch, ych
head (of cattle)

Derived terms

bufil (“bovid”)
buladd (“cowbane”)
bulwg (“corn cockle”)

Etymology 2

Verb

bu

third-person singular preterite of bod

Mutation

Mutated forms of bu
radical	soft	nasal	aspirate
bu	fu	mu	unchanged

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Welsh.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

Woi

Noun

bu

knee

Zou

Etymology

From Proto-Kuki-Chin *ɓuʔ (“cooked rice”). Cognate with Mizo bùh.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [bù]
Hyphenation: bù

Noun

bù

food; meal
(specifically) cooked rice

Derived terms

mangbù

References

Philip Thangliènmâng (2010), Minimal dictionary and Self-tutor Functional Grammar in Zo-English-Hindi, New Delhi: Zoculsin, →ISBN, page 25
Lukram Himmat Singh (2013), A Descriptive Grammar of Zou (PhD thesis), Canchipur: Manipur University, page 62

[1] . Starostin, Sergei; Dybo, Anna; Mudrak, Oleg (2003), “*bu(-n)”, in Etymological dictionary of the Altaic languages (Handbuch der Orientalistik; VIII.8), Leiden; Cologne; New York: E.J. Brill

[1]

English

Noun

Anagrams

Acehnese

Pronunciation

Noun

References

Äiwoo

Etymology

Noun

Verb

Derived terms

References

Akan

Pronunciation

Verb

Derived terms

Amanab

Pronunciation

Noun

References

Amasi

Noun

References

Azerbaijani

Etymology

Pronunciation

Determiner

Usage notes

Pronoun

See also

References

Bukawa

Noun

References

Crimean Tatar

Pronoun

Dalmatian

Etymology

Noun

Danish

Verb

French

Pronunciation

Participle

Descendants

Gresi

Noun

References

Guinea-Bissau Creole

Etymology

Pronoun

Gullah

Etymology

Pronunciation

Adjective

References

Indonesian

Etymology

Noun

Irish

Particle

Mutation

Isoko

Etymology

Verb

Derived terms

Italian

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

Noun

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

Noun

Jabem

Noun

Further reading

Japanese

Romanization

Kapauri