messenger boy
6
2.3
- noun
- /ˈmɛsɪndʒər bɔɪ/
- Archaic
:
mensajero
- The manager needed a messenger boy to help with errands during the busy holiday season.
Examples
-
Are you the messenger boy?
-
I'm just the messenger boy.
-
The messenger boy was here about an hour ago with the sandwiches.
-
He left school when he was just 14 and began work as a messenger boy.
Blog text (23) -
A messenger boy sat drowsing at the desk, his head cradled in his arms.
Fiction book (1992) -
The young messenger boy ran quickly through the busy streets to deliver the important package.
-
As a messenger boy for the company, he was responsible for taking documents to clients across the city.
Synonyms
258
2.4
A person who delivers letters or small packages to other people
94
3.8
A person who carries and delivers messages or packages
60
2.1
A person who delivers messages and small packages between offices
17
3.2
A young person paid to do small tasks such as delivering messages and packages
16
2.8
A hotel worker who carries guests' luggage and helps with small tasks for them
1
2.6
A young man who does simple office tasks like running errands and delivering messages
1
8.6
A man who helps someone by doing many different tasks
A young boy who runs small errands in a hotel or house
A boy who rode a horse to deliver mail in the past
How Professional
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a boy employed to carry messages or run errands' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'messenger' (someone who transports messages) with 'boy' (a male child); the compound straightforwardly denotes a young messenger. This noun–noun compounding is common and predictable in English (and in many other languages), so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the meaning.
Etymology
Messenger boy comes from a simple, literal picture: a young worker, a boy, who ran or biked between offices carrying letters and small packages as a messenger. That's why it means 'a boy employed to carry messages or run errands'.