baas

British

/ bɑːs /

noun

a South African word for a boss: often used by Black or Coloured people addressing a White manager or overseer

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of baas

C17: from Afrikaans, from Middle Dutch baes master; see _boss ¹

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

They traveled up the road a little ways, the fluffy white herd obscuring the yellow-painted centerline amid a chorus of “baas” and the lead ewe’s jangling bell.

From Seattle Times

Furthermore, his wordless ovine antics allow him to tickle fans across borders and languages without dubbing or subtitling his enthusiastic baas.

From Los Angeles Times

One sheep in particular sounds like a person making fun of the other baas.

From Washington Post

Then 14 goats joined them for Goat Yoga, where the instructor’s directions were sometimes drowned out by “baas” from the animals and laughter from attendees getting nuzzled by goats.

From Washington Times

“I couldn’t live with my wife and children in a men’s hostel, mei baas,” Ndlamini said.

From Literature

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023