Standard Lemma guide
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
No pronunciation record was provided for this word.
noun
A bogey: a ghost, goblin, or other hostile supernatural creature, especially a small local spirit haunting gloomy places or the scenes of violence.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: UK, dialectal
Topics: human-sciences, mysticism, mythology, philosophy, sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
A bugbear: any terrifying thing.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: figuratively
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Any real or imagined thing which prompts a horse to boggle (take fright).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: obsolete
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
An outhouse: an outbuilding used as a lavatory.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: obsolete
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
History
Uncertain; occurring since 16th century in northern and north midlands British dialects; etymologically related to boggle, bogle, and obsolete bog (“a bugbear”); the first element perhaps ultimately a variant of bug (“goblin; terrifying thing; etc.”), and thus equivalent to bog + -ard (“augmentative suffix”).
From bog (“latrine; outhouse”) + -ard.
