See also: Boss, BOSS, and boß

English edit

 
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English Wikipedia has an article on:
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Pronunciation edit

Etymology 1 edit

From Dutch baas, from Middle Dutch baes (master of a household, friend), from Old Dutch *baso (uncle, kinsman), from Proto-West Germanic *baswō, from Proto-Germanic *baswô (uncle), perhaps from Proto-Germanic *ba-, *bō- (father, older male relative), source also of the English terms babe, boy, bub, bully. Cognate with Middle Low German bās (supervisor, foreman), Old Frisian bas (master), hence Saterland Frisian Boas (boss), Old High German basa (father's sister, cousin), hence German Base (aunt, cousin).

Originally a term of respect used to address an older relative. Later, in New Amsterdam, it began to mean a person in charge who is not a master. The representation of Dutch -aa- by English -o- is due to the older unrounded pronunciation of this letter, which is still used in North America and parts of Ireland, but was formerly found in some British accents as well.

The video game sense is borrowed from Japanese ボス (bosu), in turn from English boss.

Noun edit

boss (plural bosses)

  1. A person who oversees and directs the work of others; a supervisor.
  2. A person in charge of a business or company.
    Synonym: employer
    Chat turned to whisper when the boss entered the conference room.
    My boss complains that I'm always late to work.
  3. A leader, the head of an organized group or team.
    Synonyms: head, leader
    They named him boss because he had good leadership skills.
  4. The head of a political party in a given region or district.
    Synonym: leader
    He is the Republican boss in Kentucky.
  5. (informal, especially India, MLE and Philippines) A term of address to a man.
    Yes, boss.
  6. (video games) An enemy, often at the end of a level, that is particularly challenging and must be beaten in order to progress.
    Synonym: guardian
  7. (humorous) Wife.
    There's no olive oil; will sunflower oil do? — I'll have to run that by the boss.
Synonyms edit
Derived terms edit
Terms derived from boss (noun, etymology 1)
Descendants edit
  • Cantonese: 波士 (bo1 si6-2)
  • Danish: boss
  • French: boss
  • Indonesian: bos
  • Italian: boss
  • Japanese: ボス (bosu)
  • Korean: 보스 (boseu)
Translations edit
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Verb edit

boss (third-person singular simple present bosses, present participle bossing, simple past and past participle bossed)

  1. (transitive) To exercise authoritative control over; to tell (someone) what to do, often repeatedly.
    Synonyms: lord over, boss around
    • 1931, Robert L. May, Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer, Montgomery Ward (publisher):
      By YOU last night’s journey was actually bossed / Without you, I’m certain, we’d all have been lost.
    • 1932, Lorine Pruette, The Parent and the Happy Child, page 76:
      His sisters bossed him and spoiled him. All their lives he was to go on being their little brother, who could do no wrong, because he was the baby; [...]
    • 1967, Pelham Grenville Wodehouse, The purloined paperweight, page 90:
      She bossed him, and he's never gotten over it. She still orders him around, and instead of telling her to go soak her head, he just says 'Yes, ma'am' as weak as a newborn jellyfish [...]
    • 1980, Jean Toomer, The wayward and the seeking: a collection of writings by Jean Toomer, page 40:
      For if, on the one hand, I bossed him and showed him what to do and how to do it, [...]
    • 2021 June 14, Scott Mullen, “Scotland 0-2 Czech Republic”, in BBC Sport[1]:
      Clarke was undoubtedly made to change things and for spells, the Czechs bossed the game. Scotland's midfield was nullified, Dykes struggled to hold the ball up while, barring a small handful of forays by Robertson, there was a distinct lack of width from the Scots.
Derived terms edit
Translations edit

Adjective edit

boss (not comparable)

  1. (slang, US, Canada, Liverpool) Of excellent quality, first-rate.
    That is a boss Zefron poster.

Etymology 2 edit

From Middle English bos, bose, boce, from Old French boce (lump, bulge, protuberance, knot), from Frankish *bottja, from Proto-Germanic *bautaną (to hit, strike, beat). Doublet of beat; see there for more.

Noun edit

boss (plural bosses)

  1. A swelling, lump or protuberance in an animal, person or object.
    Coordinate term: tuberosity
    1. (geology) A lump-like mass of rock, especially one projecting through a stratum of different rock.
    2. A convex protuberance in hammered work, especially the rounded projection in the centre of a shield.
    3. (mechanics) A protrusion, frequently a cylinder of material that extends beyond a hole.
    4. (architecture) A knob or projection, usually at the intersection of ribs in a vault.
  2. (archery) A target block, made of foam but historically made of hay bales, to which a target face is attached.
  3. A wooden vessel for the mortar used in tiling or masonry, hung by a hook from the laths, or from the rounds of a ladder.
    • 1842, Peter Nicholson, The Mechanic's Companion:
      Boss, a short trough for holding water, when tiling the roof
  4. A head or reservoir of water.
Derived terms edit
Translations edit

Verb edit

boss (third-person singular simple present bosses, present participle bossing, simple past and past participle bossed)

  1. (transitive) To decorate with bosses; to emboss.
Translations edit

Etymology 3 edit

Apparently a corruption of bass.

Noun edit

boss (plural bosses)

  1. (obsolete) A hassock or small seat, especially made from a bundle of straw.
    • 1916, James Joyce, Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, Macmillan Press Ltd, paperback, section 36:
      All were waiting : uncle Charles, who sat far away in the shadow of the window, Dante and Mr Casey, who sat in the easy chairs at either side of the hearth, Stephen, seated on a chair between them, his feet resting on a toasting boss.
Synonyms edit
Translations edit

Anagrams edit

French edit

Etymology edit

Borrowed from English boss.

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

boss m or f by sense (plural boss or bosses)

  1. boss (leader)
  2. (video games) boss

Further reading edit

Italian edit

Etymology edit

Unadapted borrowing from English boss.

Pronunciation edit

  • IPA(key): /ˈbɔs/
  • Rhymes: -ɔs
  • Hyphenation: bòss

Noun edit

boss m (invariable)

  1. boss (leader of a business, company or criminal organization)
    Synonym: capo

Maltese edit

Etymology edit

Borrowed from English boss.

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

boss m (plural bossijiet)

  1. boss

Related terms edit

Norwegian Bokmål edit

Etymology 1 edit

Alternative forms edit

Noun edit

boss n (definite singular bosset, uncountable)

  1. garbage, rubbish, trash (leftover waste to be discarded)
Usage notes edit

Used mainly in the Bergen region.

Etymology 2 edit

Noun edit

boss m (definite singular bossen, indefinite plural bosser, definite plural bossene)

  1. (colloquial) boss, supervisor (someone who oversees work)
  2. boss (final enemy in a video game)

Norwegian Nynorsk edit

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

boss n (definite singular bosset, uncountable)

  1. alternative form of bos

Polish edit

 
Polish Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia pl

Etymology edit

Unadapted borrowing from English boss, from Dutch baas, from Middle Dutch baes, from Old Dutch *baso, from Proto-Germanic *baswô.

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

boss m pers

  1. (colloquial) boss (supervisor)
    Synonyms: szef, zwierzchnik
  2. (video games) boss (enemy in a video game)

Declension edit

Further reading edit

  • boss in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
  • boss in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Portuguese edit

Etymology edit

Unadapted borrowing from English boss.

Pronunciation edit

 

Noun edit

boss m (plural boss or bosses)

  1. (video games) boss
    Synonyms: chefe, chefão

Romanian edit

Etymology edit

Unadapted borrowing from English boss.

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

boss m (plural boși)

  1. boss
    Synonym: șef

Declension edit

Further reading edit

Swedish edit

Etymology edit

Borrowed from English boss.

Noun edit

boss c

  1. (video games) boss; final enemy
  2. (colloquial) boss, supervisor; someone who oversees work
    Synonym: chef

Declension edit

Declension of boss 
Singular Plural
Indefinite Definite Indefinite Definite
Nominative boss bossen bossar bossarna
Genitive boss bossens bossars bossarnas

Hyponyms edit

Tagalog edit

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

boss (Baybayin spelling ᜊᜓᜐ᜔)

  1. Alternative spelling of bos