Buoy

Buoy
Buoy Buoy (bwoi or boi; 277), n. [D. boei buoy, fetter, fr. OF. boie, buie, chain, fetter, F. bou['e]e a buoy, from L. boia. ``Boiae genus vinculorum tam ferreae quam ligneae.'' --Festus. So called because chained to its place.] (Naut.) A float; esp. a floating object moored to the bottom, to mark a channel or to point out the position of something beneath the water, as an anchor, shoal, rock, etc. [1913 Webster]

{Anchor buoy}, a buoy attached to, or marking the position of, an anchor.

{Bell buoy}, a large buoy on which a bell is mounted, to be rung by the motion of the waves.

{Breeches buoy}. See under {Breeches}.

{Cable buoy}, an empty cask employed to buoy up the cable in rocky anchorage.

{Can buoy}, a hollow buoy made of sheet or boiler iron, usually conical or pear-shaped.

{Life buoy}, a float intended to support persons who have fallen into the water, until a boat can be dispatched to save them.

{Nut buoy} or {Nun buoy}, a buoy large in the middle, and tapering nearly to a point at each end.

{To stream the buoy}, to let the anchor buoy fall by the ship's side into the water, before letting go the anchor.

{Whistling buoy}, a buoy fitted with a whistle that is blown by the action of the waves. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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Synonyms:
(to indicate shoals, anchoring-places, etc.)


Look at other dictionaries:

  • Buøy — is an island and neighborhood ( delområde ) in the borough Hundvåg in Stavanger, Norway.The neighborhood has a population of 1,792, distributed on an area of 1,19 km². It consists of the islands Buøy, Engøy and Sølyst/Grasholmen.HistoryThe name… …   Wikipedia

  • buoy — buoy·age; buoy·an·cy; buoy·ant; buoy·ant·ly; buoy·ant·ness; son·o·buoy; buoy; buoy·ance; …   English syllables

  • Buoy — Buoy, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Buoyed}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Buoying}.] 1. To keep from sinking in a fluid, as in water or air; to keep afloat; with up. [1913 Webster] 2. To support or sustain; to preserve from sinking into ruin or despondency. [1913… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Buoy — Buoy, v. i. To float; to rise like a buoy. Rising merit will buoy up at last. Pope. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • buoy — [bo͞o′ē; ] also, and for v. 3 usually [, boi] n. [ME < (? via MDu boeie) OFr buie, chain < L boia, fetter (see BOY): prob. first applied to the chain anchoring the float] 1. a) a floating object anchored in a lake, river, etc. to mark a… …   English World dictionary

  • buoy — [bɔɪ ǁ ˈbuːi, bɔɪ] verb [transitive] if the market or prices are buoyed, people feel confident and buy stocks and shares, and prices rise: • In Britain, bond prices were buoyed by a rise in the pound. • The market was buoyed by gains in some… …   Financial and business terms

  • buoy — (n.) late 13c., perhaps from either O.Fr. buie or M.Du. boeye, both from W.Gmc. *baukn beacon (Cf. O.H.G. bouhhan, O.Fris. baken). OED, however, supports M.Du. boeie, or O.Fr. boie fetter, chain (see BOY (Cf. boy)), because of its being fettered… …   Etymology dictionary

  • buoy — [n] floating device beacon, drift, float, guide, marker, signal; concept 628 buoy (up) [v] make light, encourage bolster, boost, buck up, cheer, cheer up, encourage, hearten, keep afloat, lift, prop, raise, support, sustain, uphold; concepts 7,22 …   New thesaurus

  • buoy up — index assure (give confidence to), bear (support), bolster, reassure Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • buoy — ► NOUN ▪ an anchored float serving as a navigation mark or for mooring. ► VERB 1) keep afloat. 2) (often be buoyed up) cause to become or remain cheerful and confident. 3) cause (a price) to rise to or remain high. ORIGIN probably from Dutch boye …   English terms dictionary

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