a. Forms: 5–8 boistrous, 6–7 boystrous, boysterous, 6 bou-, bowstrous, 6– boisterous. [Used in the same sense as the earlier boisteous, boistuous, BOISTOUS, of which it appears to be a variant modified by some obscure analogy.]
I. Rough or coarse in quality.
† 1. Rough, coarse, as e.g., food. Obs.
1474. Caxton, Chesse, III. i. The labourer of the erth vseth grete and boistrous metis.
† 2. Of rough, strong or stiff texture; stout, stiff, unyielding. Obs.
1572. trans. Buchanan’s Detect. Mary, in H. Campbell, Love-lett. Mary (1824), 135. She could abide at the poop, and … handle the boisterous cables.
1577. Holinshed, Chron., III. 915/1. Hauing vpon him a great gowne of boisterous veluet.
1586. Warner, Alb. Eng., II. viii. (1612), 37. About his boistrous necke full oft their daintie armes they cast.
1594. T. B., La Primaud. Fr. Acad., II. 33. Hee hath not made the ligaments … nor the sinewes of any such boisterous or stiffe matter.
1700. Dryden, Sigismonda & G., 59. The leathern out-side, boistrous as it was, Gave way.
† 3. Roughly massive, bulky, big and cumbrous.
1596. Spenser, F. Q., I. viii. 10. His boystrous club.
1633. J. Fosbroke, Warre or Conflict, 30. Goliah, notwithstanding the corpulency of his body, and his huge and boisterous armour, [etc.].
1641. R. Brooke, Eng. Episc., I. x. 59. The Pandects of the Civill Law are too boystrous, and of too great extent for any Civilian to comprehend.
1642. Milton, Apol. Smect., Wks. (1851), 292. If the work seeme more triviall or boistrous then for this discourse.
† 4. Rough to the feelings; painfully rough. Obs.
1592. Shaks., Rom. & Jul., I. iv. 26. Is loue a tender thing? it is too rough, Too rude, too boysterous, and it pricks like thorne. Ibid. (1595), John, IV. i. 95. Feeling what small things are boysterous there [in the eye].
† 5. Rough in operation; not skilful or delicate.
1609. Paule, Abp. Whitgift, 28. This bishop was not so boysterous a surgeon.
† 6. Strong- or coarse-growing, rank. Obs.
1622. Wither, Philar., in Juv. (1633), 590. [The pool] overgrowne with boystrous Sedge.
1671. Milton, Samson, 1164. As good for nothing else, no better service, With those thy boysterous locks.
II. Acting roughly, violent.
† 7. Violent in action or properties. Obs.
1544. Phaër, Regim. Lyfe (1560), N ii b. The saide venime is so swift, so fearce, and so boistrous of itselfe.
1645. Milton, Colast., Wks. (1851), 349. A boisterous and bestial strength.
1695. Woodward, Nat. Hist. Earth, VI. (1723), 294. The Heat becomes too powerful and boisterous for them.
8. Of wind, weather, waves, etc.: Rough, the opposite of ‘calm.’
1576. Thynne, Ld. Burghley’s Crest, in Animadv., App. iv. (1865), 113. In calme or boystrous tyde.
1596. Drayton, Leg., iii. 488. The boyst’rous Seas.
1684. Contempl. State of Man, I. ii. (1699), 20. A boystrous Wind had blown away the Leaves.
1726–7. Bolingbr., in Swift’s Lett. (1766), II. lxxiii. This boisterous climate of ours.
1836. Macgillivray, trans. Humboldt’s Trav., xxi. 299. A boisterous passage of twenty-five days.
1843. Prescott, Mexico (1850), I. 194. Finding some difficulty in doubling a boisterous headland.
9. Of persons and their actions.
† a. Full of rough violence to others, violently fierce, savage, truculent. Obs.
1581. Marbeck, Bk. of Notes, 753. Those boysterous Nemrothes, that neuer will be satisfied with the slaughter of Innocents.
1593. Shaks., 3 Hen. VI., II. i. 70. Oh … boyst’rous Clifford, thou hast slaine The flowre of Europe.
1681. E. Sclater, Serm. Putney, 11. What care boisterous Enemies for what these can do unto them?
1713. Pope, Frenzy J. D., in Swift’s Wks. (1755), III. I. 144. By your indecent and boisterous treatment of this man of learning, I perceive you are a violent sort of person.
1791. Cowper, Iliad, V. 370. Distant from the boisterous war.
b. Rough and violent in behavior and speech, turbulent; too rough or clamorous. (Orig. in a distinctly bad sense, but gradually passing into c.)
1568. T. Howell, Newe Sonets (1879), 139. Feare not his boustrous vantinge worde.
1593. Shaks., Rich. II., I. i. 4. Heere to make good ye boistrous late appeal.
1667. E. Chamberlayne, St. Gt. Brit., I. I. iii. (1743), 8. The men are strong and boisterous, great wrestlers, and healthy.
1690. Crowne, Eng. Frier, I. i. 3. Pox o’ this boystrous fool.
1705. Otway, Orphan, V. xix. 2296. Stand off thou hot-brain’d boistrous noisy Ruffian.
1853. Marsden, Early Purit., 55. Every form of church government … had for awhile its boisterous advocates.
c. Abounding in rough but good-natured activity bordering upon excess, such as proceeds from unchecked exuberance of spirits.
a. 1683. Sidney, Disc. Gov., iii. § 25 (1704), 334. That boisterous humor being gradually temper’d by disciplin.
1709. Steele, Tatler, No. 45, ¶ 8. Their boisterous Mirth.
1752. Hume, Ess. & Treat. (1777), I. 5. It renders the mind incapable of the rougher and more boisterous emotions.
1822. W. Irving, Braceb. Hall, xix. 167. A rich, boisterous, fox-hunting baronet.
1848. Macaulay, Hist. Eng., I. 213. Under the outward show of boisterous frankness.
† 10. quasi-adv. Boisterously. Obs.
1595. Shaks., John, IV. i. 76. Alas, what neede you be so boistrous rough?
