hobo

Unknown. Possibly a contraction of ho, boy or the dialectal English term hawbuck (“lout, clumsy fellow, country bumpkin”).

enPR: hō'bō

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈhəʊ.bəʊ/

  • Audio (Southern England)

    (file)

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈhoʊ.boʊ/
• (General Australian) IPA^(key): /ˈhəʉ.bəʉ/
• Rhymes: -əʊbəʊ

hobo (plural hobos or hoboes)

1. (Canada, US) A wandering homeless person, especially (historical) one illegally travelling by rail or (derogatory) a penniless, unemployed bum.
2. (Canada, US) Any migratory laborer, whether homeless or not.
3. A kind of large handbag.
   • 1989, Susan Ludwig, Janice Steinberg, Petite Style, page 46:

     Avoid bulky styles such as duffle sacks, buckets, doctors' satchels, and hobos.

• Often used attributively, as if an adjective. For example, "hobo stew", "he was leading a hobo life."
• Although informal usage considers hobo synonymous with bum, self-proclaimed hobos sometimes distinguish themselves as migrant workers rather than unemployed bums.[1]

• See also Thesaurus:vagabond

hobo (third-person singular simple present hobos, present participle hoboing, simple past and past participle hoboed)

1. (intransitive, perhaps pejorative) To be a hobo, tramp, bum etc.

   Joe idly hoboed through half the country till he realized hoboing never gets you anywhere in life.

• Boho, boho

From Dutch hobo, from French hautbois.

• IPA^(key): /ɦʊəˈbʊə/

• Audio

  (file)

hobo (plural hobo's, diminutive hobootjie)

1. oboe

Borrowed from French hautbois, from Middle French [Term?].

• IPA^(key): /ɦoːˈboː/

• Audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: ho‧bo
• Rhymes: -oː

hobo m (plural hobo's, diminutive hobootje n)

1. oboe (woodwind)

• hoboïst

hobo

1. Rōmaji transcription of ほぼ