boss

¹

[ baws, bos ]

noun

1. a person who employs or superintends workers; manager.

   Synonyms: overseer, administrator, superintendent, chief, foreman, head, supervisor

2. a politician who controls the party organization, as in a particular district.
3. a person who makes decisions, exercises authority, dominates, etc.:

   My grandfather was the boss in his family.

4. (in a video game or role-playing game) a powerful nonplayer character, often appearing at the end of a level or at the end of the game, who must be defeated in order for a player to move on to a new level or to win the game (often used attributively): Your objective for this boss-level event is to survive several waves of zombie attacks.

   Is there a trick to beating the final boss?

   Your objective for this boss-level event is to survive several waves of zombie attacks.

verb (used with object)

1. to be master of or over; manage; direct; control.
2. to order about, especially in an arrogant manner.

verb (used without object)

1. to be boss.
2. to be too domineering and authoritative.

adjective

1. chief; master.
2. Slang. first-rate.

boss

²

[ baws, bos ]

noun

1. Botany, Zoology. a protuberance or roundish excrescence on the body or on some organ of an animal or plant.
2. Geology. a knoblike mass of rock, especially an outcrop of igneous or metamorphic rock.
3. an ornamental protuberance of metal, ivory, etc.; stud.
4. Architecture.
   1. an ornamental, knoblike projection, as a carved keystone at the intersection of ogives.
   2. a stone roughly formed and set in place for later carving.
5. Bookbinding. one of several pieces of brass or other metal inset into the cover of a book to protect the corners or edges or for decoration.
6. Machinery. a small projection on a casting or forging.
7. Nautical. a projecting part in a ship's hull, or in one frame of a hull, fitting around a propeller shaft.

verb (used with object)

1. to ornament with bosses.
2. to emboss.
3. (in plumbing) to hammer (sheet metal, as lead) to conform to an irregular surface.

boss

³

[ bos, baws ]

noun

1. a familiar name for a calf or cow.

boss

⁴

[ bos ]

adjective

, Scot.

1. hollow; empty.

boss

¹

/ bɒs /

noun

1. a person in charge of or employing others
2. a professional politician who controls a party machine or political organization, often using devious or illegal methods

verb

1. to employ, supervise, or be in charge of
2. usually foll byaround or about to be domineering or overbearing towards (others)

adjective

1. slang.
   excellent; fine

   that's boss!

   a boss hand at carpentry

boss

²

/ bɒs /

noun

1. a calf or cow

boss

³

/ bɒs /

noun

1. a knob, stud, or other circular rounded protuberance, esp an ornamental one on a vault, a ceiling, or a shield
2. biology any of various protuberances or swellings in plants and animals
3. 1. an area of increased thickness, usually cylindrical, that strengthens or provides room for a locating device on a shaft, hub of a wheel, etc
   2. a similar projection around a hole in a casting or fabricated component
4. an exposed rounded mass of igneous or metamorphic rock, esp the uppermost part of an underlying batholith

verb

1. to ornament with bosses; emboss

BOSS

⁴

/ bɒs /

acronym for

1. Bureau of State Security; a branch of the South African security police

Word History and Origins

Origin of boss¹

An Americanism dating from 1640–50; from Dutch baas “master, foreman”

Origin of boss²

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English boce, from Anglo-French: “lump, growth, boil”; Old French, from unattested Vulgar Latin bottia, of uncertain origin

Origin of boss³

An Americanism first recorded in 1790–1800; compare dialectal (southwest England) borse, boss, buss “six-month-old calf”

Origin of boss⁴

First recorded in 1505–15; of obscure origin

Word History and Origins

Origin of boss¹

C19: from Dutch baas master; probably related to Old High German basa aunt, Frisian baes master

Origin of boss²

C19: from dialect buss calf, perhaps ultimately from Latin bōs cow, ox

Origin of boss³

C13: from Old French boce , from Vulgar Latin bottia (unattested); related to Italian bozza metal knob, swelling

Example Sentences

Two months later, Murphy took over the intelligence office after his boss retired and proceeded to have multiple meetings with Cuccinelli on the HTA.

From Vox

You might fool me about how well you do your job, you might fool your boss about how well you do your job, but you will never fool you.

From Fortune

Shivani Siroya, 38, CEO & founder at TalaThe best career advice I ever received came from my boss, Eva Weissman, when I was working at the United Nations Population Fund.

From Fortune

Manu Kumar Jain, 39, global vice president, Xiaomi, and managing director, Xiaomi IndiaThe best advice I ever received was from my first boss at McKinsey & Company, Ireena Vittal, who also recruited me into the firm.

From Fortune

Already short-staffed in light of cost cuts, agency bosses will need to weigh up their chances of winning new business with the impact it will have on work for current clients.

From Digiday

Based on the hat he had created for himself, Stetson made a version called “The Boss of the Plains.”

From The Daily Beast

NBC News boss Deborah Turness abruptly ousted the ‘Meet the Press’ host four months ago.

From The Daily Beast

Like his boss al-Baghdadi, he was captured by U.S. forces and served time in Camp Bucca.

From The Daily Beast

I later told my boss about what had happened, but she told me that I probably misunderstood the situation.

From The Daily Beast

His sensitivity to this problem came out in his first sharp disagreement with his boss, VMI superintendent Francis H. Smith.

From The Daily Beast

Delancy knew that the message was from that man he had never seen—the big boss, the man who knew all the answers.

From Project Gutenberg

Each man knows his part and your near neighbor, John Smith, is boss of the whole.

From Project Gutenberg

Money and political power, boss of this State—that's what I'm after—and no idle dream either.

From Project Gutenberg

Policemen send their daughters to Europe, and the boss politicians get rich so fast they spend money almost like a gentleman.

From Project Gutenberg

Something came up today and the boss had to leave in a hurry—right in the middle of a conference.

From Project Gutenberg