buoy = boy

[W Brewer]

English <buoy 1466> [BOO-ee, BU-ih, BOY]

<Bellboy> vs. <bell buoy>: WB not sure about <bell buoy>; maybe
[BELL-boo-ee], or could rhyme with <Hellboy>.

<buoyancy, buoy up one's spirits> [BOY-]

Meanwhile, trolling offshore:

[BOO-ee]-like:

French <boue'e 1483> [BOO-EH], OFrench <boue 1394, boye>

Dutch <boei> [BOO-ee], MDu <bo(e)ye>

Russian <bui>

Japanese <bui>

[BOY]-ish:

German <Boje 1575> [BOH-yeah]

Polish <boja>

Malay <boya>

Finnish <poiju>

Two roots/routes proposed for <buoy>.

(1) The Latin route: Latin <boia> 'fetter', Old French <boye>, . . . Eng
<buoy>.

(2) The Teutonic route: Germanic <*bauk-no-m>, north Frankish <*bo:kan>,
OFrench <boye>, . . . Eng <buoy>; and OE <be:acen 'sign(al)>, Eng <beacon>.

Is <beacon buoy> some sort of etymological tautology?

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