Etymologically
Log in

boondocks

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 15 October 2026 at 02:37. This address is a permanent link to this version.
Changes in this edit History

Etymology

It is borrowed from Tagalog bundok (“mountain”),[1][2][3][4][5] with the English plural -s used in place names such as the sticks.[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

A remote and wild place (1910s in Etymonline; 1930 in Merriam-Webster; 1944 in Barnhart).[4][3][2]

Semantic evolution

American soldiers occupying the Philippines adopted the Tagalog word for remote, rough country,[4] and it was reinforced during the Second World War.[4][2] From dense brush or jungle the meaning widened to any remote rural area, the backwoods.[1][3][5] Since 1965 it has often been shortened to boonies.[2] Boondockers (1944) was service slang for field boots.[4]

Timeline

  • 1910s – remote, wild country.[4]
  • 1930 – rough country filled with dense brush.[3]
  • 1944 – boondockers, field boots.[4]
  • 1965 – shortened to boonies.[2]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. Wild, dense brush or jungle.
  2. A remote rural area; the backwoods (usually the boondocks).
  • boonies
  • sticks
  • backwoods

References

  1. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  2. ^ a b c d e Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  3. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b c Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House