Boston

See also: boston and boʻston

English

Etymology

The US city is named after the English town (from which several prominent colonists had come), which itself is sometimes said to be named as a contraction of Botolph's town or Botolph's stone (the name Botolph itself coming from Old English Botwulf, from boda + wulf). However, this is uncertain.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈbɔstən/
• (New England) IPA^(key): /ˈbɒstən/, [ˈbɒːstɪn]

  • Audio (Rhode Island):

    (file)

• (cot–caught merger) IPA^(key): /ˈbɑstən/

  • Audio (US):

    (file)

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈbɒstən/

  • Audio (UK):

    (file)

• Rhymes: -ɒstən

Proper noun

Boston

1. A town and borough in Lincolnshire, England (OS grid ref TF3244).
2. A number of places in the United States:
   2. The capital and largest city of Massachusetts, the informal capital of New England, and the county seat of Suffolk County.
   3. An inactive township in Madison County, Arkansas
   4. A township in Washington County, Arkansas.
   5. A city in Georgia; named for Thomas M. Boston, who found a medicinal spring near the town site.
   6. A township and town therein, in Wayne County, Indiana; named for the city in Massachusetts.
   7. A neighborhood of Louisville, Kentucky.
   8. A census-designated place in Nelson County, Kentucky.
   9. A township in Ionia County, Michigan.
   10. An unincorporated community in Missouri; named for the city in Massachusetts.
   11. A town in New York; named for the city in Massachusetts.
   12. An unincorporated community in Belmont County, Ohio.
   13. An unincorporated community in Highland County, Ohio; named for the city in Massachusetts.
   14. An unincorporated community in Licking County, Ohio.
   15. A township and unincorporated community therein, in Summit County, Ohio; named for the city in Massachusetts.
   16. A census-designated place in Pennsylvania.
   17. An unincorporated community, the county seat of Bowie County, Texas.
   18. A census-designated place in Accomack County, Virginia.
   19. An unincorporated community in Culpeper County and Rappahannock County, Virginia.
3. A town in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
4. A town in South Australia.
5. A municipality of the Philippines.
6. A village in County Clare, Ireland.
7. A village in Kyrgyzstan.
8. A settlement in Belize.
9. A settlement in Suriname.
10. (card games) An eighteenth-century trick-taking card game for four players, with two packs of fifty-two cards each.
11. A habitational surname transferred from the place name.
12. (rare) A male given name transferred from the place name or surname.

Synonyms

• (Massachusetts city): Beantown

Derived terms

• big Dick from Boston
• Boston baked beans
• Boston Bar
• Boston Brahmin
• Boston brown bread
• Boston butt
• Boston crab
• Boston cream doughnut
• Boston cream pie
• Bostoner
• Bostonese
• Boston fern
• Bostonian
• Bostonite
• Bostonization
• Bostonize
• Boston marriage
• Boston marrow
• Boston Mess
• Boston Mountains
• Boston Spa
• Boston version
• New Boston

 

Descendants

• → Abenaki: Pastonki, pastoni
• → Klamath-Modoc: basdin
• → Lushootseed: pastəd
• → Mohawk: Wáhston

Translations

city in Massachusetts

• Arabic: بُوسْطُن (ar) m (busṭun)

  Hijazi Arabic: بوسطن f (bōsṭun)

• Armenian: Բոստոն (hy) (Boston)
• Belarusian: Бо́стан m (Bóstan)
• Bengali: বস্টন (bosṭon)
• Bulgarian: Бо́стън m (Bóstǎn)
• Burmese: ဘော့စတွန် (bhau.ca.twan)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 波士頓 / 波士顿 (zh) (Bōshìdùn)

• Danish: Boston
• Esperanto: Bostono
• Farefare: Bɔstɔn
• Finnish: Boston (fi)
• French: Boston (fr)
• Galician: Boston (gl)
• Georgian: ბოსტონი (bosṭoni)
• German: Boston (de) n
• Greek: Βοστώνη (el) (Vostóni), Βοστόνη (el) (Vostóni)
• Gujarati: બોસ્ટન (bosṭan)
• Hawaiian: Pokekona
• Hebrew: בוסטון (bost'on)
• Hindi: बोस्टन (bosṭan)
• Irish: Bostún
• Italian: Boston (it) f
• Japanese: ボストン (Bosuton)
• Khmer: បូស្តុន (bouston)
• Korean: 보스턴 (Boseuteon)
• Lao: ບອສຕັນ (bǭt tan)
• Latin: Bostonia f, Bostonium n
• Latvian: Bostona
• Lithuanian: Bostonas
• Marathi: बॉस्टन n (bŏsṭan)
• Persian: بوستون (fa) (boston)
• Portuguese: Boston (pt) f
• Russian: Бо́стон (ru) m (Bóston)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: Бостон m

  Roman: Boston (sh) m

• Spanish: Boston (es)
• Thai: บอสตัน (bòt-dtan)
• Ukrainian: Бос́тон m (Bośton)
• Urdu: بوسٹن (bosṭan)
• Vietnamese: Bốt xtơn, Ba Sĩ Đốn (obsolete)
• Yiddish: באָסטאָן (boston)

village in Ireland

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 波士頓 / 波士顿 (zh) (Bōshìdùn)

• Irish: Móinin na gCloigeann
• Marathi: बॉस्टन n (bŏsṭan)

Noun

Boston (plural Bostons)

1. (card games) In the card game spades, a bid of all 13 tricks.
2. A Boston lettuce.

Anagrams

• Tobson, Tobons

Catalan

Proper noun

Boston m

1. Boston (the capital and largest city of Massachusetts, United States)

Czech

Proper noun

Boston m inan (related adjective bostonský, demonym Bostoňan)

1. Boston (the capital and largest city of Massachusetts, United States)

Declension

Declension of Boston (sg-only hard masculine inanimate)

	singular
nominative	Boston
genitive	Bostonu
dative	Bostonu
accusative	Boston
vocative	Bostone
locative	Bostonu
instrumental	Bostonem

Further reading

• “Boston”, in Kartotéka Novočeského lexikálního archivu (in Czech)

Finnish

Etymology

From English Boston.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈboston/, [ˈbo̞s̠to̞n]
• Rhymes: -oston
• Hyphenation^(key): Bos‧ton

Proper noun

Boston

1. Boston (the capital and largest city of Massachusetts, United States)

Declension

Inflection of Boston (Kotus type 6/paperi, no gradation)
nominative		Boston	Bostonit
genitive		Bostonin	Bostonien Bostoneiden Bostoneitten
partitive		Bostonia	Bostoneita Bostoneja
illative		Bostoniin	Bostoneihin
		singular	plural
nominative		Boston	Bostonit
accusative	nom.	Boston	Bostonit
	gen.	Bostonin
genitive		Bostonin	Bostonien Bostoneiden Bostoneitten
partitive		Bostonia	Bostoneita Bostoneja
inessive		Bostonissa	Bostoneissa
elative		Bostonista	Bostoneista
illative		Bostoniin	Bostoneihin
adessive		Bostonilla	Bostoneilla
ablative		Bostonilta	Bostoneilta
allative		Bostonille	Bostoneille
essive		Bostonina	Bostoneina
translative		Bostoniksi	Bostoneiksi
abessive		Bostonitta	Bostoneitta
instructive		—	Bostonein
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of Boston (Kotus type 6/paperi, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative Bostonini Bostonini accusative nom. Bostonini Bostonini gen. Bostonini genitive Bostonini Bostonieni Bostoneideni Bostoneitteni partitive Bostoniani Bostoneitani Bostonejani inessive Bostonissani Bostoneissani elative Bostonistani Bostoneistani illative Bostoniini Bostoneihini adessive Bostonillani Bostoneillani ablative Bostoniltani Bostoneiltani allative Bostonilleni Bostoneilleni essive Bostoninani Bostoneinani translative Bostonikseni Bostoneikseni abessive Bostonittani Bostoneittani instructive — — comitative — Bostoneineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative Bostonisi Bostonisi accusative nom. Bostonisi Bostonisi gen. Bostonisi genitive Bostonisi Bostoniesi Bostoneidesi Bostoneittesi partitive Bostoniasi Bostoneitasi Bostonejasi inessive Bostonissasi Bostoneissasi elative Bostonistasi Bostoneistasi illative Bostoniisi Bostoneihisi adessive Bostonillasi Bostoneillasi ablative Bostoniltasi Bostoneiltasi allative Bostonillesi Bostoneillesi essive Bostoninasi Bostoneinasi translative Bostoniksesi Bostoneiksesi abessive Bostonittasi Bostoneittasi instructive — — comitative — Bostoneinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative Bostonimme Bostonimme accusative nom. Bostonimme Bostonimme gen. Bostonimme genitive Bostonimme Bostoniemme Bostoneidemme Bostoneittemme partitive Bostoniamme Bostoneitamme Bostonejamme inessive Bostonissamme Bostoneissamme elative Bostonistamme Bostoneistamme illative Bostoniimme Bostoneihimme adessive Bostonillamme Bostoneillamme ablative Bostoniltamme Bostoneiltamme allative Bostonillemme Bostoneillemme essive Bostoninamme Bostoneinamme translative Bostoniksemme Bostoneiksemme abessive Bostonittamme Bostoneittamme instructive — — comitative — Bostoneinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative Bostoninne Bostoninne accusative nom. Bostoninne Bostoninne gen. Bostoninne genitive Bostoninne Bostonienne Bostoneidenne Bostoneittenne partitive Bostonianne Bostoneitanne Bostonejanne inessive Bostonissanne Bostoneissanne elative Bostonistanne Bostoneistanne illative Bostoniinne Bostoneihinne adessive Bostonillanne Bostoneillanne ablative Bostoniltanne Bostoneiltanne allative Bostonillenne Bostoneillenne essive Bostoninanne Bostoneinanne translative Bostoniksenne Bostoneiksenne abessive Bostonittanne Bostoneittanne instructive — — comitative — Bostoneinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative Bostoninsa Bostoninsa accusative nom. Bostoninsa Bostoninsa gen. Bostoninsa genitive Bostoninsa Bostoniensa Bostoneidensa Bostoneittensa partitive Bostoniaan Bostoniansa Bostoneitaan Bostonejaan Bostoneitansa Bostonejansa inessive Bostonissaan Bostonissansa Bostoneissaan Bostoneissansa elative Bostonistaan Bostonistansa Bostoneistaan Bostoneistansa illative Bostoniinsa Bostoneihinsa adessive Bostonillaan Bostonillansa Bostoneillaan Bostoneillansa ablative Bostoniltaan Bostoniltansa Bostoneiltaan Bostoneiltansa allative Bostonilleen Bostonillensa Bostoneilleen Bostoneillensa essive Bostoninaan Bostoninansa Bostoneinaan Bostoneinansa translative Bostonikseen Bostoniksensa Bostoneikseen Bostoneiksensa abessive Bostonittaan Bostonittansa Bostoneittaan Bostoneittansa instructive — — comitative — Bostoneineen Bostoneinensa

Derived terms

compounds

• bostonkakku

 

Polish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbɔs.tɔn/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔstɔn
• Syllabification: Bos‧ton

Proper noun

Boston m inan (related adjective bostoński, demonym bostończyk, female demonym bostonka)

1. Boston (the capital and largest city of Massachusetts, United States)

Declension

Declension of Boston

	singular
nominative	Boston
genitive	Bostonu
dative	Bostonowi
accusative	Boston
instrumental	Bostonem
locative	Bostonie
vocative	Bostonie

References

• Boston in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Portuguese

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English Boston.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈbɔs.tõ/

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈbɔs.tõ/
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /ˈbɔʃ.tõ/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈbɔʃ.tɔn/

Proper noun

Boston

1. Boston (the capital and largest city of Massachusetts, United States)

Serbo-Croatian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bôston/
• Hyphenation: Bos‧ton

Proper noun

Bȍston m (Cyrillic spelling Бо̏стон)

1. Boston (the capital and largest city of Massachusetts, United States)

Declension

Declension of Boston

	singular
nominative	Boston
genitive	Bostona
dative	Bostonu
accusative	Boston
vocative	Bostone
locative	Bostonu
instrumental	Bostonom

Slovak

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈbɔstɔn]

Proper noun

Boston m inan (genitive singular Bostonu, declension pattern of dub, related adjective bostonský, demonym Bostončan, female demonym Bostončanka)

1. Boston (the capital and largest city of Massachusetts, United States)

References

• “Boston”, in Slovníkový portál Jazykovedného ústavu Ľ. Štúra SAV [Dictionary portal of the Ľ. Štúr Institute of Linguistics, Slovak Academy of Science] (in Slovak), https://slovnik.juls.savba.sk, 2003–2024

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈboston/ [ˈbos.t̪õn]
• Rhymes: -oston
• Syllabification: Bos‧ton

Proper noun

Boston ?

1. Boston (the capital and largest city of Massachusetts, United States)

Turkish

Proper noun

Boston

1. Boston (the capital and largest city of Massachusetts, United States)