bimbo
UK[ˈbɪmbəʊ]US[ˈbɪmboʊ]
n
an attractive but unintelligent or frivolous young woman, especially one perceived as being promiscuous.
Etymology
the word 'bimbo' entered english in the early 20th century from italian, where it is a masculine noun meaning 'little child' or 'baby boy', a diminutive of 'bimbo', itself a baby-talk variant for 'bambino' (child). its initial use in american english was as a slang term for a man, often a foolish or contemptible one. by the 1920s, its application shifted predominantly to refer to a woman, acquiring the specific connotations of vacuous attractiveness. this semantic shift reflects a cultural stereotype, transforming a neutral term for a young person into a gendered pejorative.
Analysis
this word is a loanword from italian and is not productively formed from separable english morphemes.
Examples
the tabloid newspapers often portray the actress as a mindless bimbo.
he dismissed her intelligent argument, reducing her to a bimbo in his remarks.
the character was written as a classic bimbo, providing comic relief but no substantive plot contributions.