† boostn.1
Obsolete.
A box, a pyx; = boist n. Cf. buist n.1
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > equipment > receptacle or container > box > [noun]
shrinec1000
boist?c1225
busta1250
cofferc1300
coffinc1330
buist1393
boosta1400
pyx1609
pyxis1708
box1751
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 14003 A bost [Fairf. boiste, Gött. boist] sco has o smerles nummen.
1535 W. Stewart tr. H. Boethius Bk. Cron. Scotl. (1858) III. 351 Tua bostis of gude wyne.
1570 P. Levens Manipulus Vocabulorum sig. Sii/2 A Booste, boxe, pixis.
a1650 D. Calderwood Hist. Kirk Scotl. (1843) II. 33 Adoratioun..and keeping of bread in boxes or boostes.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1887; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
boostn.2
/buːst/, U.S. /bust/ colloquial (originally U.S.)
1. A lift, a shove up; help, encouragement (by means of publicity, etc.), increase (in value, reputation, etc.). Also, the action of boost v.2 2.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > sleeping and waking > refreshment or invigoration > [noun] > that which or one who refreshes or invigorates
spice?c1225
comfort1377
refresherc1450
refreshment1532
reviver1542
sauce1561
salt1579
refocillation1608
whettera1625
fillip1699
stimulant1728
stimulation1733
yeast1769
stimulus1791
inspiriter1821
stimulatory1821
refreshener1824
boost1825
bracer1826
young blood1830
freshener1838
invigoratorc1842
blow1849
tonic1849
elevation1850
stimulator1851
breather1876
pick-me-up1876
a shot in the arm1922
the mind > emotion > courage > encouragement > [noun] > a fact or circumstance that encourages
encouragement1700
boost1825
pull-up1872
morale booster1959
morale boost1975
1825 J. Neal Brother Jonathan II. xvi. 101 Shall I give him a boost? or no?
1834 S. Smith Sel. Lett. Major Jack Downing xxvi. 63 I got a pretty good boost in Boston..by the editors giving me recommendations.
1858 J. Dow Serm. Office-seekers ask you to give them a boost into the tree of office.
1879 J. R. Lowell Poet. Wks. (rev. ed.) 417 Bacchus that now is scarce induced To give Eld's lagging blood a boost.
1883 Harper's Mag. Nov. 943/1 Nor has its completion given that ‘boost’ to California..so fondly dreamed of.
1919 P. G. Wodehouse My Man Jeeves 24 You see. A boost for the uncle right away.
1958 Spectator 6 June 722/2 After this initial boost, recruiting will fall off again.
1964 Daily Tel. 2 Oct. (Colour Suppl.) 7/1 A piece of national prestige-building and a boost to exports too.
1967 Listener 6 Apr. 473/3 The recording needs treble boost, but is otherwise excellent.
1969 Gramophone Apr. 1502/3 A small amount of bass boost gives a well balanced performance.
1969 Scotsman 26 Apr. 6/6 [Scottish manufacturers] have expressed the opinion that they are doing all right..with their exports and need no additional boosts.
2. In an internal-combustion or jet engine: = supercharging n.; supercharger pressure. Also, = booster n. 2c. Hence attributive and in other combinations.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > equipment > machine > machines which impart power > engine > internal-combustion engine > [adjective] > increasing pressure
boost1931
society > occupation and work > equipment > machine > machines which impart power > engine > internal-combustion engine > [noun] > parts of > apparatus for increasing pressure
supercharger1917
blower1920
boost1931
turbocharger1934
turbosupercharger1938
turbo1957
1931 Air Ann. Brit. Empire 88 It has been necessary to evolve a practical automatic boost-controlling mechanism.
1931 Handbk. Aeronaut. viii. 500 Boost Gauge, Mark II a.
1934 Aircraft Engin. Apr. 110/3 Boost pressure is the difference between induction pipe pressure and 760 mm. of mercury.
1941 P. Richey Fighter Pilot 57 I immediately started clambering after them, with my ‘plug’ (boost-override) pulled.
1943 L. Cheshire Bomber Pilot i. 13 He tested..the airscrew pitch controls and the boost.
1950 Jrnl. Brit. Interplanet. Soc. 9 174 The thrust of the boost motors.
1962 F. I. Ordway et al. Basic Astronautics ix. 385 The boost phase of flight.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1887; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
boostv.1
/buːst/, U.S. /bust/, Scottish English /bust/ Scottish.
Invariable modal verb with bare or to-infinitive (also with till).
1. transitive. With present or future reference: is obliged or necessitated, must, have to.
ΚΠ
1786 R. Burns Poems 82 I fear, that, wi' the geese, I shortly boost to pasture I' the craft some day.
1929 Gallovidian Ann. 82 Some say it's no' true, but if ye look oot o' the windy ye'll see the Provost's flag still fleein', so it buist be true.
1961 ‘Castlegreen’ Tatties an' Herreen' 16 Fit ye hev through 'e week disna maitter a squeak Bit id beest till be broth on 'e Sunday.
1980 G. Taylor in Akros Dec. 65 We buist hide wir dried, an' wir luve.
2. transitive. With past reference: was obliged or necessitated, must, had to.
ΚΠ
1808 W. Watson Misc. Sc. Poetry 62 We a' were sae cheerie, Time ran like a peerie—But, waesucks! I boost gae an' lae them.
1838 A. Rodger Poems & Songs 253 O had we but ta'en care langsyne,..But na—we boost to dash sae fine Aboon our level.
1877 R. De B. Trotter Galloway Gossip Sixty Years Ago 162 He didna want to break his promise, but come out it budst in spite of him.
1892 G. Stewart Shetland Fireside Tales (ed. 2) 247 She haed fir her voar-fee tree shillins..an' büst hae her tae four times a-day.
1932 John o' Groat Jrnl. 25 Nov. in Sc. National Dict. (1941) II. 217/3 Anither neebour wanted a gricie an' he beest til hev'e strong chiel.
1979 J. J. Graham Shetland Dict. 7/2 He böst til a come alang da banks.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2012; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
boostv.2
/buːst/, U.S. /bust/ 1. transitive. To hoist; ‘to lift or push from behind (one endeavoring to climb); to push up. (Low)’ Webster. Also figurative. To assist over obstacles, to advance the progress of; to support, encourage; to increase (in value, reputation, etc.); to praise up, to extol; also absol. originally U.S. colloquial.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > courage > encouragement > encourage or embolden [verb (transitive)]
hearteOE
bieldc897
hardenc1175
elnea1225
hardyc1225
boldc1275
hardishc1325
endurec1384
assurec1386
emboldc1400
recomfortc1405
enharda1450
support1479
enhardy1483
animatec1487
encourage1490
emboldishc1503
hearten1524
bolden1526
spright1531
raise1533
accourage1534
enheart1545
to hearten on1555
hearten?1556
alacriate1560
bespirit1574
bebrave1576
to put in heart1579
to hearten up1580
embolden1583
bravea1593
enhearten1610
inspiritc1610
rehearten1611
blood1622
mana1625
valiant1628
flush1633
firm1639
buoy1645
embrave1648
reinhearten1652
reanimate1655
reinspirit1660
to give mettle to1689
warm1697
to lift (up) a person's spirits1711
reman1715
to make a man of1722
respirit1725
elate1726
to cocker up1762
enharden1779
nerve1799
boost1815
brace1816
high-mettle1831
braven1865
brazen1884
1815 D. Humphreys Yankey in Eng. 103 Boost, raise up, lift up, exalt.
1826 Massachusetts Spy 29 Nov. The crooks, in danger of being boasted [sic] were compelled to knock under.
1834 S. Smith Sel. Lett. Major Jack Downing lvi. 139 You..give me a lift into public life, and you've been a boosting me along ever since.
1845 Yale Literary Mag. 11 34 There is one poor fellow getting his comrade to boost him, while he hangs to the skirts of the one above.
1848–60 J. R. Bartlett Dict. Americanisms (at cited word) Boost me up this tree, and I'll hook you some apples.
a1860 N.Y. Herald Lord Palmerston was boosted into power by the agricultural interest of England.
1884 Harper's Mag. Aug. 484/1 To boost a jurist of so much helpless avoirdupois in through the carriage door.
1887 F. Francis Saddle & Mocassin 121 If you think that I'm trying to boost the place up because it belongs to us.
1903 F. Norris Respons. Novelist 299 Considered at first as a fad, it has been at length boosted and foisted upon the public attention.
1907 Westm. Gaz. 26 Aug. 3/2 ‘They seem to give Nature a boost’; ‘The man who boosts himself over a tough place’ will jump into his regular place without ‘any let-up’;..phrases such as these simply conceal the thought of the author.
1909 Daily Chron. 21 Oct. 3/5 In times like these, when trade and other factors are bad, it is the duty of the Press to ‘boost’ in the interests of the nation, for when trade is good it will ‘boost’ itself.
1910 N.Y. Evening Post 24 Feb. Kindliness, optimism,..the national inclination to ‘boost’ and not to ‘knock’, are admirable virtues.
1923 P. G. Wodehouse Inimitable Jeeves ii. 22 Young Bingo must have boosted me to some purpose.
1925 B. Copplestone Dead Men's Tales ix Though..he dared not give her more than a reefed lug foresail, she was boosted along by continuous gales.
1926 Publishers' Weekly 16 Jan. 147 Perhaps advertising might help boost their sales.
1928 Publisher's Weekly 29 Sept. 375/2 Many important reviewers were boosting it as the more brilliant of the two books.
2. To increase or otherwise regulate the electromotive force in (a circuit, battery, etc.).
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > electricity > voltage > increase or regulate [verb (transitive)]
boost1906
1906 A. Russell Treat. Theory Alternating Currents II. x. 282 The pressure can be boosted positively or negatively.
1911 Engineer 10 Mar. 237/2 It is far more profitable to boost the pressure at the generating station.
1959 H. Burstein Stereo, How it Works ii. 43 With stereo program material it is no longer necessary to boost the intensity above live concert level to hear fine details.
3. To steal, esp. to shoplift; to rob. Also absol. Cf. booster n. 3 slang (originally U.S.).
ΘΚΠ
the mind > possession > taking > stealing or theft > steal [verb (intransitive)]
stealc725
thievec920
bribec1405
pluck?a1425
prowl1546
strike1567
to make away with1691
fake1819
snam1824
snig1862
to help oneself1868
boost1912
score1914
snoop1924
the mind > possession > taking > stealing or theft > steal [verb (transitive)]
pick?c1300
takec1300
fetch1377
bribec1405
usurpc1412
rapc1415
to rap and rendc1415
embezzle1495
lifta1529
pilfer1532
suffurate1542
convey?1545
mill1567
prig1567
strike1567
lag1573
shave1585
knave1601
twitch1607
cly1610
asport1621
pinch1632
snapa1639
nap1665
panyar1681
to carry off1684
to pick up1687
thievea1695
to gipsy away1696
bone1699
make1699
win1699
magg1762
snatch1766
to make off with1768
snavel1795
feck1809
shake1811
nail1819
geach1821
pull1821
to run off1821
smug1825
nick1826
abduct1831
swag1846
nobble1855
reef1859
snig1862
find1865
to pull off1865
cop1879
jump1879
slock1888
swipe1889
snag1895
rip1904
snitch1904
pole1906
glom1907
boost1912
hot-stuff1914
score1914
clifty1918
to knock off1919
snoop1924
heist1930
hoist1931
rabbit1943
to rip off1967
to have off1974
1912 [implied in: A. H. Lewis Apaches of N.Y. in Partridge Dict. Underworld A gifted booster..of the feminine gender. (at booster n. 3)].
1915 W. Healy Individual Delinquent xviii. 548 He was a booster himself, he had already stolen. He says ‘You come on, I know a place where we can boost.’
1933 Amer. Speech 8 24/2 Boost, steal, especially by shoplifting.
1951 Life 11 June 126/3 Boys turn to picking pockets, car ‘boosting’ and other forms of thievery.
1962 ‘K. Orvis’ Damned & Destroyed xi. 73 Fay blows in. Loaded to the teeth with a bankroll she got for a tray of watches she boosted.
1971 W. S. Burroughs, Jr. Speed iii. 65 I boosted a guy that was only in a coma.
1978 C. White They do it All with Mirrors iii. 27 The route to socks took us through jewelry, past a display of rhinestoned smile face pens, two of which she boosted.
Derivatives
ˈboosting n. and adj.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > electricity > voltage > [noun] > increase or regulation
boosting1906
the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > electricity > voltage > [adjective] > serving to boost
boosting1906
1906 A. Russell Treat. Theory Alternating Currents II. x. 282 When a transformer is used in this fashion it is called an auto-transformer or a boosting transformer, or simply a booster.
1911 A. B. Smith Mod. Amer. Telephony v. 76 When the current is too small for effective transmission of signaling the necessity of ‘boosting’..arises.
1912 Baltimore Amer. 5 Nov. The quiet citizen who has not indulged in boosting will decide the result.
1920 Chambers's Jrnl. Aug. 557/2 These arrangements are supplemented by ‘boosting’ fans at intervals of about 2000 feet.
1962 A. Nisbett Technique Sound Studio i. 17 Switching centres, boosting amplifiers and frequency correction networks on landlines.
Draft additions December 2022
transitive (usually in passive). To give (a person or animal) an additional dose of a vaccine in order to maintain an effective immune response. Cf. booster n. 2d.
Π
1959 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 7 Mar. 610/2 The same pattern of response to the third dose was found in the adults who were boosted at 10 to 12 months.
1970 Jrnl. Infectious Dis. 121 375/2 Laboratory volunteers, all of whom showed antibody rise to the initial injection of vaccine, were boosted 8 months later.
1999 B. Tennant Small Animal Abdominal & Metabolic Disorders 42 Boost the cat with vaccine before conception so that levels of maternally derived antibody are high.
2022 @JennyChachan 10 Feb. in twitter.com (accessed 31 Mar. 2022) Good to know that i need to be boosted for a basketball game, but i don't even need to be vaxxed for the oscars.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1887; most recently modified version published online December 2022).
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