An Irish diminutive of 'boy,' used affectionately or condescendingly depending on context. The '-een' suffix is a Hiberno-English (Irish English) diminutive borrowed from Irish, where it softens or infantilizes nouns. Typically used by older people addressing a younger person or in nostalgic or literary speech.
'Come here to me, boyeen,' the old man said, waving the child over with a weathered hand.
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(Ireland) A boy.
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Regional slang from around the English-speaking world — British, Australian, Irish, Caribbean, Nigerian, Filipino, AAVE, and the hyphenated-English dialects that make the internet sound local.
See all Regional & Other slang on Slangora.