whiteboy

noun

white·​boy
1
archaic : a favored person : pet
2
usually capitalized [so called from their wearing white shirts outside their other clothes as a means of recognition on their night raids] : one of an agrarian association formed among the Irish peasants in 1761 especially to redress their grievances against their landlords and to resist collection of tithes

Word History

First Known Use

1592, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of whiteboy was in 1592

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Cite this Entry

“Whiteboy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/whiteboy. Accessed 8 Nov. 2024.

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