• Homeboy (feminine: Homegirl) is a slang term of unsettled origin. It means "friend". It was most current in the 1970s and 1980s among African American and Mexican American youths. It is/was often shortened to "homes", "holmes", and "homie".

Origins

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The origin of the word homeboy is uncertain. Some argue that it is simply derivative of "hometown boy". Others, that it is a Chicano slang derivative of the Spanish word "hombre" (man).

• Homeboy Industries, a youth program in East Los Angeles to assist gang members
• Homeboy is a 1988 film starring Mickey Rourke
• Homeboy, a 1989 album by Eric Clapton