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boss - Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Wiktionary

boss

See also: Boss, BOSS, and boß

English

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English Wikipedia has an article on:
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English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia

Pronunciation

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Etymology 1

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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

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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.
  7. (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
  8. (humorous) Wife.
    There's no olive oil; will sunflower oil do? — I'll have to run that by the boss.
Synonyms
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Derived terms
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Terms derived from boss (noun, etymology 1)
Descendants
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  • → Cantonese: 波なみ士し (bo1 si6-2)
  • → Danish: boss
  • → French: boss
  • → Indonesian: bos
  • → Italian: boss
  • → Japanese: ボス (bosu)
  • → Korean: 보스 (boseu)
Translations
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The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked

Verb

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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
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Translations
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Adjective

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boss (not comparable)

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

Etymology 2

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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

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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.
    4. (mechanics) A protrusion; frequently a cylinder of material that extends beyond a hole.
      Coordinate terms: ear, eye
    5. (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
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Translations
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Verb

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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
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Etymology 3

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Apparently a corruption of bass.

Noun

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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
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Translations
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Anagrams

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French

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Etymology

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Borrowed from English boss.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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

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

Further reading

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Italian

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Etymology

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Unadapted borrowing from English boss.

Pronunciation

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

Noun

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boss m (invariable)

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

Maltese

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Etymology

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Borrowed from English boss.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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boss m (plural bossijiet)

  1. boss
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Norwegian Bokmål

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Etymology 1

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Alternative forms

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Noun

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boss n (definite singular bosset, uncountable)

  1. garbage, rubbish, trash (leftover waste to be discarded)
Usage notes
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Used mainly in the Bergen region.

Etymology 2

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Noun

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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

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Pronunciation

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Noun

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boss n (definite singular bosset, uncountable)

  1. alternative form of bos

Polish

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Polish Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia pl

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

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Noun

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boss m pers

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

Declension

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Declension of boss
singular plural
nominative boss bossowie
genitive bossa bossów
dative bossowi bossom
accusative bossa bossów
instrumental bossem bossami
locative bossie bossach
vocative bossie bossowie

Further reading

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

Portuguese

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Etymology

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Unadapted borrowing from English boss.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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boss m (plural boss or bosses)

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

Romanian

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Etymology

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Unadapted borrowing from English boss.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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boss m (plural boși)

  1. boss
    Synonym: șef

Declension

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Declension of boss
singular plural
indefinite articulation definite articulation indefinite articulation definite articulation
nominative/accusative (un) boss bossul (niște) boși boșii
genitive/dative (unui) boss bossului (unor) boși boșilor
vocative bossule boșilor

Further reading

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Swedish

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Etymology

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Borrowed from English boss.

Noun

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boss c

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

Declension

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Declension of boss
nominative genitive
singular indefinite boss boss
definite bossen bossens
plural indefinite bossar bossars
definite bossarna bossarnas

Hyponyms

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Tagalog

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Pronunciation

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Noun

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boss (Baybayin spelling ᜊᜓᜐ᜔)

  1. Alternative spelling of bos
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