Buddy

How to spell buddy

5 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce buddy

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does buddy mean?

1. nounA close friend or companion.

Buddy in a sentence

• He went fishing with his old college buddy at the weekend.

• My gym buddy keeps me motivated to show up every morning.

Where does buddy come from?

Language of origin: Other

This is an American coinage from the mid 1800s, first recorded in the 1850s as an informal term for a close companion. The most widely accepted explanation is that it is a baby-talk or affectionate softening of 'brother', the kind of reshaping that turns a fuller word into something warmer and shorter. Some scholars instead link it to the older British dialect word 'butty', which meant a workmate or companion, especially among miners and labourers, and which itself may come from 'booty' in the sense of a shared spoil. The sense of a trusted partner deepened during the World Wars through the 'buddy system', the practice of pairing soldiers or swimmers so each looks out for the other. The doubled 'd' is the main spelling point to remember: the single short 'u' vowel is held back by two consonants, just as in 'muddy' and 'ruddy'.

How the word is built

• budd- (likely from 'brother' or dialectal 'butty', companion)
• -y (familiar/diminutive suffix)