bub C2+ Topic:Register & Style US /bʌb/ UK /bʌb/ See IPA manual Minimal pairs Sounds like bob /ʌ/ vs /ɑ/ Meanings 1 noun an informal, often condescending term of address for a man or boy Watch where you're going, bub. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 noun · an informal, often... matefellowbuddymisterpal Word family Related forms bubbabrother Etymology AI details Of uncertain origin, American English colloquial, perhaps a shortening of brother or from German Bube ('boy'). The development is unclear. Topics Register & Style General Vocabulary External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # bub **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** noun **IPA (US):** /bʌb/ **IPA (UK):** /bʌb/ ## Meanings 1. an informal, often condescending term of address for a man or boy ## Examples - Watch where you're going, bub. ## Synonyms - mate - fellow - buddy - mister - pal ## Related Forms - bubba - brother ## Etymology Of uncertain origin, American English colloquial, perhaps a shortening of brother or from German Bube ('boy'). The development is unclear. ## AI Etymology Bub is of uncertain origin, American English colloquial, perhaps a shortening of brother or from German Bube ('boy'). The development is unclear. The history must be left partly open, preserving the uncertainty rather than forcing a single unsupported ancestry. Used as a noun, bub now means "an informal, often condescending term of address for a man or boy", so the present definition can be read against the older forms and meanings. The same lexical family is also visible in related forms such as bubba and brother. That uncertainty is part of the entry: the safest account is the attested form and the limited comparisons preserved with it. ## Topics - Register & Style - General Vocabulary markdown