boom

intj

Etymology: Onomatopoeic, perhaps borrowed; compare German bummen, Dutch bommen (“to hum, buzz”). The sense "a period of economic growth" is generally taken to derive from the sense "a rapid expansion", although other origins have also been suggested.

1. Used to suggest the sound of an explosion.

   “crash boom bang”

   “In regards to what happened to Mutsu, well, it went BOOM. To be more prosaic about it, there were a number of theories put forward as to why Mutsu's magazine for its aft superfiring turret exploded, some of them more plausible than others.”

2. Used to suggest something happening suddenly or unexpectedly; voilà.

   “Add one cup of hot water, wait a minute, and boom — your cup of ramen is ready.”

   “So we went around the corner, looked in the garbage, and, boom, there's about 16 of the tapes he didn't like!”

3. The sound of a bass drum beating.
4. The sound of a cannon firing.

name

1. A Belgian town and municipality in the southwest of the Flemish province of Antwerp.

noun

Etymology: Borrowed from Dutch boom (“tree; pole”). Doublet of beam.

1. A spar extending the foot of a sail; a spar rigged outboard from a ship's side to which boats are secured in harbour.

   “Tighten the outhaul and place the appropriate line in the cam cleat located on the boom about two feet back from the mast.”

2. A specially-designed, movable pole, used to suspend a microphone or camera high above the ground during filming or recording.
3. Ellipsis of boom microphone (a microphone supported on such a pole).
4. A horizontal member of a crane or derrick, used for lifting.
5. The longest element of a Yagi-Uda antenna, on which the other, smaller antennae are transversally mounted.
6. A floating barrier used to obstruct navigation, for military or other purposes; or used for the containment of an oil spill or to control the flow of logs from logging operations.

   “I went out on the timber boom and made a few casts, but with little success.”

7. A gymnastics apparatus, similar to a balance beam, which must be traversed as part of an obstacle course, typically as a training exercise in school or as part of basic training for new military recruits.

   “The wooden upright was now standing in the middle of the floor, and the two booms were fitted into its grooved side and hoisted as high as hands could reach. [...] Two by two, one at each end, the students proceeded along the boom, hanging by their hands, monkey-wise. [...] Two by two the students somersaulted upwards on to the high boom, turned to a sitting position sideways, and then slowly stood up on the narrow ledge.”

8. A wishbone-shaped piece of windsurfing equipment.
9. The section of the arm on a backhoe closest to the tractor.

verb

Etymology: Borrowed from Dutch boom (“tree; pole”). Doublet of beam.

1. To extend, or push, with a boom or pole.

   “to boom out a sail”

   “to boom off a boat”

2. To raise or lower with a crane boom.