Word
booty
US/ˈbuti/
UK/bˈuːti/
Definitions
01stolen treasure
B2 · Upper Intermediate Uncountable noun
n. valuable things or money stolen by pirates or soldiers during a war.
n. plunder or goods taken from an enemy in war or seized through piracy.
Español:botín
“The pirates divided the booty equally among the crew after the raid.”
“Historical accounts suggest that the distribution of booty was strictly regulated by a code of conduct signed by every sailor before the voyage began.”
02sexual partner or act
C1 · Advanced Uncountable noun Slang · Vulgar
n. a very informal and sometimes rude way to talk about sex or a person someone has sex with.
n. sexual intercourse or a person viewed as a sexual partner. Highly informal and potentially objectifying.
“He was just looking for some booty and wasn't interested in a real relationship.”
“The phrase 'booty call' became a standard late-night idiom in the 1990s to describe a spontaneous request for a sexual encounter.”
03bad or low quality
C2 · Proficiency Slang · American English
adj. something that is very bad, cheap, or disappointing.
adj. of inferior quality; worthless or poorly executed.
“I'm not going back to that club because the music was totally booty.”
“While the special effects were impressive, the actual plot of the movie was booty, leading to overwhelmingly negative reviews from critics.”
Etymology
From Middle English buty, botye, bottyne, from Old French butin, botin, from Middle Low German bǖte (“distribution, exchange, loot”), of obscure origin, but related to Middle High German biute, German Beute (“booty”). Possibly ultimately from Proto-Celtic *boudi (“profit, gains; victory”). Sense perhaps influenced by boot (as in to boot).
Probably an alteration of botty. Possibly influenced by booty (etymology 1).
From boot.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Related words
Idioms
01. play booty
Domain
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B2 FirstIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.5.5–6.5TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 4.0–4.572–94TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.785–944
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Updated
- アルファベット
- 読み方の一覧 →
QR code
englishreference.com/q/booty
Traducciones: Kaikki.org (Wiktionary), CC BY-SA 4.0