According to Douglas Harper (2001), the word “bully” came from the Dutch boel, “lover; brother” which is probably a diminutive of Middle Dutch broeder “brother” and originally meant “sweetheart” as applied to either sex. Its meaning deteriorated during the 17th century, from “fine fellow” and “bluster” to “harasser of the weak”. “Protector of a prostitute”, a connecting sense between “lover” and “ruffian”, which became a sense of the word bully but this sense was not specifically attested until 1706. The expression meaning "worthy, jolly, admirable" is first attested 1680s, and preserves an earlier, positive sense of the word. As a federal government website managed by the U.S Department of Health & Human Services defined bullying, it is said to be an “unwanted, aggressive behavior among school aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. The behavior is
References: Keens, K. (1999). Bullying, depression, and suicidal ideation in Finnish adolescents: school survey. Retrieved from http://www.bmj.com/content/319/7206/348 Joe, A. (2010). Research Paper on Bullying. Retrieved from http://www.scribd.com/doc/32162283/A-Research-Paper-on-Bullying Evans, N. (2012). Amanda Todd: Memorial for teenage cyberbullying victim. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/19960162 Ubalde, J. (2012). CSA teen on bully’s gun-toting dad: ‘I really thought he’d shoot my brains out’. Retrieved from http://www.interaksyon.com/article/43937/csa-teen-on-bullys-gun-toting-dad-i-really-thought-hed-shoot-my-brains-out Harper, D. (2001). Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved from http://etymonline.com/index.php?term=bully