homeboy

homeboy [hohm-boi] Word Origin noun Slang.

1. a person from the same locality as oneself.
2. a close friend or fellow gang member.

Origin of homeboy An Americanism dating back to 1895–1900; home + boy British Dictionary definitions for home boy homeboy noun slang, mainly US

1. a close friend
2. a person from one’s home town or neighbourhood

Derived Formshomegirl, fem nWord Origin for homeboy C20: US rap-music usage Word Origin and History for home boy homeboy n.

“person from one’s hometown,” 1940s, American English, black slang, also originally with overtones of “simpleton.” With many variants (cf. homebuddy, homeslice, both 1980s, with meaning shading toward “good friend”). The word had been used by Ruskin (1886) with the sense “stay-at-home male,” and it was Canadian slang for “boy brought up in an orphanage or other institution” (1913).