buoy
- buoy
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/booh"ee, boy/, n.
1. Naut. a distinctively shaped and marked float, sometimes carrying a signal or signals, anchored to mark a channel, anchorage, navigational hazard, etc., or to provide a mooring place away from the shore.
2. a life buoy.
v.t.
3. to keep afloat or support by or as if by a life buoy; keep from sinking (often fol. by up): The life jacket buoyed her up until help arrived.
4. Naut. to mark with a buoy or buoys.
5. to sustain or encourage (often fol. by up): Her courage was buoyed by the doctor's assurances.
v.i.
6. to float or rise by reason of lightness.
[1425-75; late ME boye a float < MF *boie, boue(e) < Gmc; akin to BEACON]
Syn. 5. lift, uplift, boost, lighten; maintain, nurture.
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▪ flotation device
floating object anchored at a definite location to guide or warn mariners, to mark positions of submerged objects, or to moor vessels in lieu of anchoring. Two international buoyage systems are used to mark channels and submerged dangers. In both systems, buoys of standardized colours and shapes indicate safe passageways. Special-purpose buoys are designed for a variety of uses; they include cable buoys, anchor buoys, or race buoys. A mooring buoy differs from other types in not being an aid to navigation but a point to which vessels may be tied up. Secured to a permanent group of anchors by a heavy chain, such a buoy serves as a connecting link between the vessel and the anchors. The use of mooring buoys conserves space in crowded harbours because a moored vessel requires less room to swing with the wind and tide than does a vessel at anchor.
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Universalium.
2010.
:
Look at other dictionaries:
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… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
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
