Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A native or inhabitant of Bohemia.
- noun A person of Bohemian ancestry.
- noun The Czech dialects of Bohemia.
- noun Archaic A Romani person.
- noun An itinerant person; a vagabond.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun countable A native or resident of
Bohemia . - noun uncountable The
dialect of theCzech language spoken in Bohemia. - noun countable, archaic A
Gypsy , aRomani . - noun countable, slang A marginalized and impoverished young artist, or member of the urban
literati . - adjective Of, or relating to
Bohemia or itslanguage . - adjective Of, or relating to the untraditional lifestyles of marginalized and impoverished artists, writers, musicians, and actors in major European cities (or by extension, major North American cities as well).
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
Support
Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word Bohemian.
Examples
-
He had a taste for literature and a longing for travel and military adventure in especial, and for a time he lived a pleasant, free and easy, Bohemian sort of life, if we may use the term Bohemian in describing days that existed long before Henri
A History of the Four Georges and of William IV, Volume III (of 4) Justin McCarthy 1871
-
It was what they call a Bohemian party, I'm told - meaning that they could all drink as much as they liked without any servants to tell tales on them.
Best Detective Stories Hare, Cyril, 1900-1958 1959
-
Francis had required all the firmness of what he called his Bohemian head to resist the threats, entreaties, and cajoleries employed to get him to acquiesce in the dethronement of the King of Saxony, and the wiping out of the
Complete Project Gutenberg Collection of Memoirs of Napoleon Various
-
Francis had required all the firmness of what he called his Bohemian head to resist the threats, entreaties, and cajoleries employed to get him to acquiesce in the dethronement of the King of Saxony, and the wiping out of the Saxon nationality by the very alliance which professed to fight only for the rights of nations and of their lawful sovereigns.
The Memoirs of Napoleon Bourrienne, Louis Antoine Fauvelet de 1836
-
Francis had required all the firmness of what he called his Bohemian head to resist the threats, entreaties, and cajoleries employed to get him to acquiesce in the dethronement of the King of Saxony, and the wiping out of the
Memoirs of Napoleon — Complete Louis Antoine Fauvelet de Bourrienne 1801
-
LAMB: Did you call the Bohemian Grove and say, "I'd like to come"?
-
"This is truly Bohemian," remarked Mrs. Clyde, as with a newspaper for both plate and napkin, she joined the group about the fire, "-- much more so than the studio-luncheons they call Bohemian in Boston."
Blue Bonnet's Ranch Party Edyth Ellerbeck Read 1924
-
By a curious perversion of language, on account of various gypsies who about two centuries ago travelled westward across Bohemia and thereby came to be known in France as "Bohemians," the word Bohemian came into use to designate one who lived an easy, careless life, unhampered by serious responsibilities.
The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume 14: Simony-Tournon 1840-1916 1913
-
I suggested to my American friends that the abandonment of the word Bohemian in its historical sense might well extend to its literary and figurative sense.
-
Erectione Crucis_, etc. He wrote in Latin, Bohemian, and German, and recently his Bohemian writings have been edited by K.J. Erben, Prague
Comments
Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.