Boyfriend
A boyfriend is a male partner in a non-marital romantic relationship with either a woman or a man.
In contrast to its female equivalent, girlfriend, which is often used to describe a woman's close female friends, the term is rarely used in reference to non-romantic relationships. It is a relatively modern term, and in the past has had implications of an illicit relationship (as sexual and romantic relationships outside marriage were generally frowned upon). It is now a generally accepted term, however, no longer having negative connotations. The term is more likely to be used to describe a boy or a young man in a relationship, as an older man in a non-marital relationship is often described as a significant other or partner. Even amongst younger people, boyfriend may be replaced with the gender-neutral term partner, especially when describing a young man in a long term relationship.
The word itself is relatively new -- its first usage in print known to the Oxford English Dictionary is in George W. E. Russell's Collections and recollections, by one who has kept a diary, in 1909.[1]
In Japan, where many English words have entered the common vernacular (especially among teenagers), a "boyfriend" (ボイフレンッド) is a term which does not have any romantic connotations. Rather, it is any male friend, whether the speaker is male or female. For example, one Japanese boy calling another boy his "boyfriend" implies no sense of homosexuality or even romantic involvement. The proper way to refer to one's male romantic partner is kareshi (かれし). The same situation applies to the word "girlfriend" (ガアルフレンッド).
Notes
- ^ George W. E. Russell. Collections and recollections, by one who has kept a diary p.330 "The young ladies...meet their boy-friends at all hours and places." The OED contradicts itself, saying in another place that the diary was published in 1898.
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