boss

Etymology 1

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).

noun

1. A person who oversees and directs the work of others; a supervisor.
   February 18, 2018, Dawn Pine, Strategies for Dealing with a Bad Boss we have some vindictive people as bosses, and you don’t want to be the target of their wrath.
2. A person in charge of a business or company.
   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.
   They named him boss because he had good leadership skills.
4. The head of a political party in a given region or district.
   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.
7. (humorous) Wife.
   There's no olive oil; will sunflower oil do? — I'll have to run that by the boss.

verb

1. (transitive) To exercise authoritative control over; to tell (someone) what to do, often repeatedly.
   By YOU last night’s journey was actually bossed / Without you, I’m certain, we’d all have been lost. 1931, Robert L. May, Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer, Montgomery Ward (publisher)
   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; … 1932, Lorine Pruette, The Parent and the Happy Child, page 76
   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 … 1967, Pelham Grenville Wodehouse, The purloined paperweight, page 90
   For if, on the one hand, I bossed him and showed him what to do and how to do it, … 1980, Jean Toomer, The wayward and the seeking: a collection of writings by Jean Toomer, page 40
   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. June 14 2021, Scott Mullen, “Scotland 0-2 Czech Republic”, in BBC Sport

adj

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

Etymology 2

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

1. A swelling, lump or protuberance in an animal, person or object.
   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.
   Boss, a short trough for holding water, when tiling the roof 1842, Peter Nicholson, The Mechanic's Companion
4. A head or reservoir of water.

verb

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

Etymology 3

Apparently a corruption of bass.

noun

1. (obsolete) A hassock or small seat, especially made from a bundle of straw.
   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. 1916, James Joyce, Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, Macmillan Press Ltd, paperback, section 36