bimbo

See also: bimbó, Bimbo, and BIMBO

English

Etymology

From Italian bimbo (“a child, a male baby”), variant of bambino (“child”). Originated in Italian American theater, attested 1919, as “stupid, inconsequential man”, by 1920 developed sense of “floozie, attractive and stupid woman”.^[1] Popularized in 1920s by Jack Conway of entertainment magazine Variety, who also popularized baloney (“nonsense”) and palooka (“large stupid man”). Revived in popularity in 1980s US political sex scandals.^[1]

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈbɪmbəʊ/
• (US) enPR: bĭm'bō, IPA^(key): /ˈbɪmboʊ/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪmbəʊ

Noun

bimbo (plural bimbos or bimboes)

1. (derogatory, slang) A physically attractive woman who lacks intelligence.

   Synonyms: airhead, bimbette, floozie

   Coordinate term: himbo

   • [1972, Bernardo Bertolucci, Franco Arcalli, Last Tango in Paris, spoken by Paul (Marlon Brando):

     Anyway, to make a long, dull story even duller, I come from a time when a guy like me used to come into a joint like this and pick up a young chick like you and… call her a ‘bimbo’.]

   • a. 1992, P. J. O’Rourke, a sketch

     A bimbo is a woman who is not pretty enough to be a model, not smart enough to be an actress, and not nice enough to be a poisonous snake.

   • 2004 May 3, Anthony Lane, “Looney Tunes”, in The New Yorker‎:

     [Tina] Fey […] makes hay with the thought processes of a purebred bimbo: […]

2. (derogatory, slang) A stupid or foolish person.
   • 1960, P. G. Wodehouse, Jeeves in the Offing, chapter III:

     And one had to remember that most of the bimbos to whom Roberta Wickham had been giving the bird through the years had been of the huntin', shootin' and fishin' type, fellows who had more or less shot their bolt after saying 'Eh, what?' and slapping their leg with a hunting crop.

   • 1960, P. G. Wodehouse, Jeeves in the Offing, chapter XIII:

     Isn't he the bimbo who took the bread out of the mouths of the Thursday Review people? Chuck the blighter out of the window and we want to see him bounce.

Derived terms

• bimbette
• bimbocore
• bimbodom
• bimbo eruption
• bimboesque
• bimbofication
• bimbohood
• bimboish
• bimboism
• bimboy
• himbo
• mimbo
• thembo

Related terms

• bambino

Translations

physically attractive woman who lacks intelligence

Bulgarian: кифла f (kifla) Chinese: Mandarin: 小妞 (zh) (xiǎoniū) Czech: barbína (cs) f Finnish: bimbo (fi) French: ravissante idiote f, gourde sexy f, pitoune (fr) f (Quebec) German: Tussi (de) f, Betthäschen n Greek: χαζογκόμενα (el) f (chazogkómena) Hebrew: פרחה (he) f Hungarian: maca (hu), liba (hu), tyúk (hu) Italian: oca giuliva f Polish: słodka idiotka (pl) f, karyna f (internet slang), lalunia f, blachara (pl) f Russian: фифа (ru) f (fifa) Spanish: mujer florero f Swedish: bimbo (sv) c

stupid or foolish person

Czech: trouba (cs) m, trubec (cs) m French: idiot (fr) m, andouille (fr) m, couillon (fr) m, neuneu (fr) m German: Idiot (de), Dummkopf (de) Hungarian: fajankó (hu), bunkó (hu), tuskó (hu)

See also

• Appendix:Words from Variety

References

1. Douglas Harper (2001–2025) “bimbo”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from English bimbo, from Italian bimbo.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbɪm.boː/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: bim‧bo

Noun

bimbo f (plural bimbo's, diminutive bimbootje n)

1. (derogatory) bimbo (unintelligent floozie)

Finnish

Etymology

From English bimbo, from Italian bimbo.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbimbo/, [ˈbimbo̞]
• Rhymes: -imbo
• Hyphenation^(key): bim‧bo

Noun

bimbo (colloquial, derogatory)

1. bimbo (moron)

Declension

Inflection of bimbo (Kotus type 1/valo, no gradation)
nominative		bimbo	bimbot
genitive		bimbon	bimbojen
partitive		bimboa	bimboja
illative		bimboon	bimboihin
		singular	plural
nominative		bimbo	bimbot
accusative	nom.	bimbo	bimbot
	gen.	bimbon
genitive		bimbon	bimbojen
partitive		bimboa	bimboja
inessive		bimbossa	bimboissa
elative		bimbosta	bimboista
illative		bimboon	bimboihin
adessive		bimbolla	bimboilla
ablative		bimbolta	bimboilta
allative		bimbolle	bimboille
essive		bimbona	bimboina
translative		bimboksi	bimboiksi
abessive		bimbotta	bimboitta
instructive		—	bimboin
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of bimbo (Kotus type 1/valo, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative bimboni bimboni accusative nom. bimboni bimboni gen. bimboni genitive bimboni bimbojeni partitive bimboani bimbojani inessive bimbossani bimboissani elative bimbostani bimboistani illative bimbooni bimboihini adessive bimbollani bimboillani ablative bimboltani bimboiltani allative bimbolleni bimboilleni essive bimbonani bimboinani translative bimbokseni bimboikseni abessive bimbottani bimboittani instructive — — comitative — bimboineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative bimbosi bimbosi accusative nom. bimbosi bimbosi gen. bimbosi genitive bimbosi bimbojesi partitive bimboasi bimbojasi inessive bimbossasi bimboissasi elative bimbostasi bimboistasi illative bimboosi bimboihisi adessive bimbollasi bimboillasi ablative bimboltasi bimboiltasi allative bimbollesi bimboillesi essive bimbonasi bimboinasi translative bimboksesi bimboiksesi abessive bimbottasi bimboittasi instructive — — comitative — bimboinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative bimbomme bimbomme accusative nom. bimbomme bimbomme gen. bimbomme genitive bimbomme bimbojemme partitive bimboamme bimbojamme inessive bimbossamme bimboissamme elative bimbostamme bimboistamme illative bimboomme bimboihimme adessive bimbollamme bimboillamme ablative bimboltamme bimboiltamme allative bimbollemme bimboillemme essive bimbonamme bimboinamme translative bimboksemme bimboiksemme abessive bimbottamme bimboittamme instructive — — comitative — bimboinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative bimbonne bimbonne accusative nom. bimbonne bimbonne gen. bimbonne genitive bimbonne bimbojenne partitive bimboanne bimbojanne inessive bimbossanne bimboissanne elative bimbostanne bimboistanne illative bimboonne bimboihinne adessive bimbollanne bimboillanne ablative bimboltanne bimboiltanne allative bimbollenne bimboillenne essive bimbonanne bimboinanne translative bimboksenne bimboiksenne abessive bimbottanne bimboittanne instructive — — comitative — bimboinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative bimbonsa bimbonsa accusative nom. bimbonsa bimbonsa gen. bimbonsa genitive bimbonsa bimbojensa partitive bimboaan bimboansa bimbojaan bimbojansa inessive bimbossaan bimbossansa bimboissaan bimboissansa elative bimbostaan bimbostansa bimboistaan bimboistansa illative bimboonsa bimboihinsa adessive bimbollaan bimbollansa bimboillaan bimboillansa ablative bimboltaan bimboltansa bimboiltaan bimboiltansa allative bimbolleen bimbollensa bimboilleen bimboillensa essive bimbonaan bimbonansa bimboinaan bimboinansa translative bimbokseen bimboksensa bimboikseen bimboiksensa abessive bimbottaan bimbottansa bimboittaan bimboittansa instructive — — comitative — bimboineen bimboinensa

Further reading

• “bimbo”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎ (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2023-07-02

Italian

Etymology

Variant of bambino (“child”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbim.bo/
• Rhymes: -imbo
• Hyphenation: bìm‧bo

Noun

bimbo m (plural bimbi, feminine bimba, diminutive bimbétto or bimbìno, augmentative bimbóne)

1. child, baby (male)

Descendants

• → English: bimbo

Anagrams

• bombi

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From English bimbo, from Italian.

Noun

bimbo m (definite singular bimboen, indefinite plural bimboer, definite plural bimboene)

1. (derogatory) bimbo

References

• “bimbo” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From English bimbo, from Italian.

Noun

bimbo m (definite singular bimboen, indefinite plural bimboar, definite plural bimboane)

1. (derogatory) bimbo

References

• “bimbo” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Polish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbim.bɔ/
• Rhymes: -imbɔ
• Syllabification: bim‧bo

Noun

bimbo

1. (Poznań) vocative singular of bimba

Portuguese

Verb

bimbo

1. first-person singular present indicative of bimbar

Swedish

Noun

bimbo c

1. (derogatory) bimbo (attractive and stupid young woman)

Declension

Declension of bimbo

		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	bimbo	bimbos
	definite	bimbon	bimbons
plural	indefinite	bimbos, bimbon	bimbos, bimbons
	definite	bimborna	bimbornas

References

• bimbo in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• bimbo in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)