Etymology

From ItalianCategory:English terms borrowed from Italian#BIMBOCategory:English terms derived from Italian#BIMBO 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/Category:English 2-syllable words#BIMBOCategory:English terms with IPA pronunciation#BIMBO
• (US) enPR: bĭm'bō, IPA^(key): /ˈbɪmboʊ/Category:English 2-syllable words#BIMBOCategory:English terms with IPA pronunciation#BIMBO

• Audio (US):

  (file)

  Category:English terms with audio pronunciation#BIMBO

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

  Category:English terms with audio pronunciation#BIMBO
• Rhymes: -ɪmbəʊCategory:Rhymes:English/ɪmbəʊ#BIMBOCategory:Rhymes:English/ɪmbəʊ/2 syllables#BIMBO

Noun

bimbo (plural bimbos or bimboes)Category:English lemmas#BIMBOCategory:English nouns#BIMBOCategory:English countable nouns#BIMBOCategory:English nouns with irregular plurals#BIMBOCategory:English entries with incorrect language header#BIMBOCategory:Pages with entries#BIMBOCategory:Pages with 9 entries#BIMBO

1. (derogatoryCategory:English derogatory terms#BIMBO, slangCategory:English slang#BIMBO) A physically attractive person, typically a woman or otherwise feminine in appearance, who lacks intelligence.

   Synonyms: airhead, bimbette, floozie

   Coordinate terms: himbo, thembo

   • [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’.]

     Category:English terms with quotations#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, archived from the original on 1 June 2017:

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

     Category:English terms with quotations#BIMBO

2. (derogatoryCategory:English derogatory terms#BIMBO, slangCategory:English slang#BIMBO, datedCategory:English dated terms#BIMBO) 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.

     Category:English terms with quotations#BIMBO

   • 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.

     Category:English terms with quotations#BIMBO

   • 2012, Moonrise Kingdom (film)

     Who is this bimbo, Barney? Is he a regular customer or what?

See also

• Appendix:Words from Variety

References

Etymology

Borrowed from EnglishCategory:Dutch terms borrowed from English#BIMBOCategory:Dutch terms derived from English#BIMBO bimbo, from ItalianCategory:Dutch terms derived from Italian#BIMBO bimbo.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbɪm.boː/Category:Dutch terms with IPA pronunciation#BIMBO

• Audio:

  (file)

  Category:Dutch terms with audio pronunciation#BIMBO
• Hyphenation: bim‧bo

Noun

bimbo f (plural bimbo's, diminutive bimbootje n)Category:Dutch lemmas#BIMBOCategory:Dutch nouns#BIMBOCategory:Dutch nouns with plural in -s#BIMBOCategory:Dutch nouns with red links in their headword lines#BIMBOCategory:Dutch entries with incorrect language header#BIMBOCategory:Dutch feminine nouns#BIMBOCategory:Pages with entries#BIMBOCategory:Pages with 9 entries#BIMBO

1. (derogatoryCategory:Dutch derogatory terms#BIMBO) bimbo (unintelligent floozie)

Etymology

From EnglishCategory:Finnish terms borrowed from English#BIMBOCategory:Finnish terms derived from English#BIMBO bimbo, from ItalianCategory:Finnish terms derived from Italian#BIMBO bimbo.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbimbo/, [ˈbimbo̞]Category:Finnish 2-syllable words#BIMBOCategory:Finnish terms with IPA pronunciation#BIMBO
• Rhymes: -imboCategory:Rhymes:Finnish/imbo#BIMBOCategory:Rhymes:Finnish/imbo/2 syllables#BIMBO
• Syllabification^(key): bim‧bo
• Hyphenation^(key): bim‧bo

Noun

bimboCategory:Finnish lemmas#BIMBOCategory:Finnish nouns#BIMBOCategory:Finnish entries with incorrect language header#BIMBOCategory:Pages with entries#BIMBOCategory:Pages with 9 entries#BIMBO (colloquialCategory:Finnish colloquialisms#BIMBO, derogatoryCategory:Finnish derogatory terms#BIMBO)

1. bimbo (moron)

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 2 July 2023

Etymology

Variant of bambino (“child”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbim.bo/Category:Italian 2-syllable words#BIMBOCategory:Italian terms with IPA pronunciation#BIMBO
• Rhymes: -imboCategory:Rhymes:Italian/imbo#BIMBOCategory:Rhymes:Italian/imbo/2 syllables#BIMBO
• Hyphenation: bìm‧bo

Noun

bimbo m (plural bimbi, feminine bimba, diminutive bimbéttoCategory:Italian links with redundant wikilinks#BIMBO or bimbìnoCategory:Italian links with redundant wikilinks#BIMBO, augmentative bimbóneCategory:Italian links with redundant wikilinks#BIMBO)Category:Italian lemmas#BIMBOCategory:Italian nouns#BIMBOCategory:Italian countable nouns#BIMBOCategory:Italian entries with incorrect language header#BIMBOCategory:Italian masculine nouns#BIMBOCategory:Pages with entries#BIMBOCategory:Pages with 9 entries#BIMBO

1. child, baby (male)

Anagrams

• bombi

Etymology

From EnglishCategory:Norwegian Bokmål terms borrowed from English#BIMBOCategory:Norwegian Bokmål terms derived from English#BIMBO bimbo, from ItalianCategory:Norwegian Bokmål terms derived from Italian#BIMBO.

Noun

bimbo m (definite singular bimboen, indefinite plural bimboer, definite plural bimboene)Category:Norwegian Bokmål lemmas#BIMBOCategory:Norwegian Bokmål nouns#BIMBOCategory:Norwegian Bokmål entries with incorrect language header#BIMBOCategory:Norwegian Bokmål masculine nouns#BIMBOCategory:Pages with entries#BIMBOCategory:Pages with 9 entries#BIMBO

1. (derogatoryCategory:Norwegian Bokmål derogatory terms#BIMBO) bimbo

References

• “bimbo” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Etymology

From EnglishCategory:Norwegian Nynorsk terms borrowed from English#BIMBOCategory:Norwegian Nynorsk terms derived from English#BIMBO bimbo, from ItalianCategory:Norwegian Nynorsk terms derived from Italian#BIMBO.

Noun

bimbo m (definite singular bimboen, indefinite plural bimboar, definite plural bimboane)Category:Norwegian Nynorsk lemmas#BIMBOCategory:Norwegian Nynorsk nouns#BIMBOCategory:Norwegian Nynorsk entries with incorrect language header#BIMBOCategory:Norwegian Nynorsk masculine nouns#BIMBOCategory:Pages with entries#BIMBOCategory:Pages with 9 entries#BIMBO

1. (derogatoryCategory:Norwegian Nynorsk derogatory terms#BIMBO) bimbo

References

• “bimbo” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbim.bɔ/Category:Polish 2-syllable words#BIMBOCategory:Polish terms with IPA pronunciation#BIMBO
• Rhymes: -imbɔCategory:Rhymes:Polish/imbɔ#BIMBOCategory:Rhymes:Polish/imbɔ/2 syllables#BIMBO
• Syllabification: bim‧bo

Noun

bimboCategory:Polish non-lemma forms#BIMBOCategory:Polish noun forms#BIMBOCategory:Polish entries with incorrect language header#BIMBOCategory:Pages with entries#BIMBOCategory:Pages with 9 entries#BIMBO

1. vocative singular of bimba

Verb

bimboCategory:Portuguese non-lemma forms#BIMBOCategory:Portuguese verb forms#BIMBOCategory:Portuguese entries with incorrect language header#BIMBOCategory:Pages with entries#BIMBOCategory:Pages with 9 entries#BIMBO

1. first-person singular present indicative of bimbar

Noun

bimbo cCategory:Swedish lemmas#BIMBOCategory:Swedish nouns#BIMBOCategory:Swedish entries with incorrect language header#BIMBOCategory:Swedish common-gender nouns#BIMBOCategory:Pages with entries#BIMBOCategory:Pages with 9 entries#BIMBO

1. (derogatoryCategory:Swedish derogatory terms#BIMBO) bimbo (attractive and stupid young woman)

References

• “bimbo”, in Svensk ordbok [Dictionary of Swedish] (in Swedish)
• “bimbo”, in Svenska Akademiens ordbok [Dictionary of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)