buoy

• POS: Noun, Verb (intransitive), Verb (transitive)

CIDE DICTIONARY

buoy, n. [D. boei buoy, fetter, fr. OF. boie, buie, chain, fetter, F. bouée a buoy, from L. boia. “Boiae genus vinculorum tam ferreae quam ligneae.” Festus. So called because chained to its place.].

 A float; esp. a floating object moored to the bottom, to mark a channel or to point out the position of something beneath the water, as an anchor, shoal, rock, etc.  [1913 Webster]

Anchor buoy, a buoy attached to, or marking the position of, an anchor. -- Bell buoy, a large buoy on which a bell is mounted, to be rung by the motion of the waves. -- Breeches buoy. See under Breeches. -- Cable buoy, an empty cask employed to buoy up the cable in rocky anchorage. -- Can buoy, a hollow buoy made of sheet or boiler iron, usually conical or pear-shaped. -- Life buoy, a float intended to support persons who have fallen into the water, until a boat can be dispatched to save them. -- Nut buoy or Nun buoy, a buoy large in the middle, and tapering nearly to a point at each end. -- To stream the buoy, to let the anchor buoy fall by the ship's side into the water, before letting go the anchor. -- Whistling buoy, a buoy fitted with a whistle that is blown by the action of the waves.

buoy, v. t. 

•  To keep from sinking in a fluid, as in water or air; to keep afloat; -- with up.  [1913 Webster]
•  To support or sustain; to preserve from sinking into ruin or despondency.  [1913 Webster]

  "Those old prejudices, which buoy up the ponderous mass of his nobility, wealth, and title."  [1913 Webster]
•  To fix buoys to; to mark by a buoy or by buoys; as, to buoy an anchor; to buoy or buoy off a channel.  [1913 Webster]

  "Not one rock near the surface was discovered which was not buoyed by this floating weed."  [1913 Webster]

buoy, v. i. 

 To float; to rise like a buoy.  Pope.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

buoy, n. & v.
--n.
1 an anchored float serving as a navigation mark or to show reefs etc.
2 a lifebuoy.
--v.tr.
1 (usu. foll. by up) a keep afloat. b sustain the courage or spirits of (a person etc.); uplift, encourage.
2 (often foll. by out) mark with a buoy or buoys.

Etymology

ME prob. f. MDu. bo(e)ye, ult. f. L boia collar f. Gk boeiai ox-hides

THESAURUS

buoy

Carling float, Mae West, Roman candle, aid to navigation, alarm, amber light, balefire, balsa, balsa raft, beacon, beacon fire, bear up, bell, bell buoy, blinker, blue peter, bob, boom, breeches buoy, buoy up, caution light, cork, cork jacket, ejection capsule, ejection seat, ejector seat, elevate, flare, float, float high, fog bell, fog signal, fog whistle, foghorn, glance, go light, gong buoy, green light, hearten, heliograph, high sign, hold up, international alphabet flag, international numeral pennant, keep up, kick, leer, life belt, life buoy, life jacket, life net, life preserver, life raft, life ring, life vest, lifeboat, lifeline, lift, lollipop, marker beacon, nod, nudge, parachute, parachute flare, pilot flag, poke, police whistle, pontoon, quarantine flag, radio beacon, raft, raise, red flag, red light, ride high, rocket, rubber dinghy, safety belt, sailing aid, semaphore, semaphore flag, semaphore telegraph, sign, signal, signal beacon, signal bell, signal fire, signal flag, signal gong, signal gun, signal lamp, signal light, signal mast, signal post, signal rocket, signal shot, signal siren, signal tower, siren, spar buoy, stop light, support, surfboard, sustain, the nod, the wink, touch, traffic light, traffic signal, upbear, uphold, uplift, upraise, waft, watch fire, water wings, white flag, wigwag, wigwag flag, wink, yellow flag

ROGET THESAURUS

buoy

Elevation

VB heighten, elevate, raise, lift, erect, set up, stick up, perch up, perk up, tilt up, rear, hoist, heave, uplift, upraise, uprear, upbear, upcast, uphoist, upheave, buoy, weigh mount, give a lift, exalt, sublimate, place on a pedestal, set on a pedestal, escalate 102, take up, drag up, fish up, dredge, stand up, rise up, get up, jump up, spring to one's feet, hold oneself, hold one's head up, drawn oneself up to his full height.

Levity

N levity, lightness, imponderability, buoyancy, volatility, feather, dust, mote, down, thistle, down, flue, cobweb, gossamer, straw, cork, bubble, balloon, float, buoy, ether, air, leaven, ferment, barm, yeast, lighter-than-air balloon, helium balloon, hydrogen balloon, hot air balloon, convection, thermal draft, thermal, light, subtile, airy, imponderous, imponderable, astatic, weightless, ethereal, sublimated, gossamery, suberose, suberous, uncompressed, volatile, buoyant, floating, portable, light as a feather, light as a thistle, light as air, lighter than air, rise like a balloon, float like a balloon.