Bube

See also: bube

English

Proper noun

Bube

1. A Bantu language spoken by the Bubi people.

   Synonym: Fernandian

German

Alternative forms

• Bub (southern)
• Bub' (less common)

Etymology

From Middle High German buobe (“knave”), from Old High German Buobo, a male name of unknown meaning, though probably formed as a reduplication of a syllable *bo which may be abstracted from Proto-Germanic *brōþēr (“brother”), based on the original meaning of "male child", reinforced by sound-symbolism. Cognate with Dutch boef (“villain”). Probably also related to boy; see there for more.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbuːbə/

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

Bube m (weak, genitive Buben, plural Buben, diminutive Bübchen n or Büblein n, feminine (rare) Bübin)

1. knave; jack (playing card)
2. (regional, Southern Germany, Austria, Switzerland) boy; lad
3. (regional, northern and central Germany) rogue; villain; naughty boy

Usage notes

• In northern and central Germany, the word is now used almost exclusively for the playing card. The southern sense “boy” is understood but not used. The older regional sense “rogue, villain” has become chiefly restricted to the diminutive Bübchen or to fixed combinations and compounds (böser Bube, Bubenstreich, Spitzbube, etc.).

Declension

Declension of Bube [masculine, weak]

	singular			plural
	indef.	def.	noun	def.	noun
nominative	ein	der	Bube	die	Buben
genitive	eines	des	Buben	der	Buben
dative	einem	dem	Buben	den	Buben
accusative	einen	den	Buben	die	Buben

Synonyms

• (jack): Bauer
• (boy): Junge, Knabe
• (rogue): Gauner; Schlingel; Schuft

Antonyms

• (by gender) Mädchen, Mädel
• (by age) Mann, Greis

Derived terms

• Bübele, Bübli, Büberl
• Gebübe n
• Spitzbube
• Kreuzbube
• Pikbube
• Herzbube
• Karobube

Descendants

• → Esperanto: bubo
• → Hungarian: bubi
• → Ido: bubo

Further reading

• “Bube” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
• “Bube” in Uni Leipzig: Wortschatz-Lexikon
• “Bube” in Duden online
• Bube on the German Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^de
• “Bube” in Deutsches Wörterbuch von Jacob und Wilhelm Grimm, 16 vols., Leipzig 1854–1961.