sb. north. Forms: 5 booc, boce, buse, 5, 9 boos, bose, 5–9 boose, 9 bouse, boost. [First found in 15th c., but pointing to an OE. *bós (whence bósiʓ, BOOSY, cow-stall), corresp. to ON. bás-s:—OTeut. *banso-z: cf. Ger. banse, Gothic bansts barn. (The phonetic forms in mod. dialects, Eng. and Sc., cannot be derived from the ON. word, but require an OE. form with ó.)] A stall for a cow or (less usually) a horse; esp. the upper part of the stall, where the fodder is placed. See also BOOSY.
c. 1440. Promp. Parv., 41. Booc or boos, netystalle [K. boce, H., 1499 bose].
1483. Cath. Angl., 49. A Buse for a noxe, bocetum.
1570. Levins, Manip., 222. Boose, stall, bouile.
1781. J. Hutton, Tour Caves, Gloss. (E. D. S.), Boose, a stall for a cow or horse.
1808. Jamieson, Buse, Buise, Boose, a cow’s stall, a crib.
1875. Lanc. Gloss., Boose, Boost, a cattle stall. Often used for the upper part of the stall where the fodder is placed: as ‘Yo’ll find it in th’ cow’s boose.’
