boss

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See also Boss, and BOSS

Contents

[edit] English

[edit] Pronunciation

[edit] Etymology 1

From Old French boce (modern bosse), of uncertain origin.

[edit] Noun

boss (plural bosses)

  1. A swelling, lump or protuberance in an animal, person or object.
  2. (geology) A lump-like mass of rock, especially one projecting through a strata of different rock.
  3. 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.
  5. (architecture) A knob or projection, usually at the intersection of ribs in a vault.
[edit] Derived terms
[edit] Translations
projection in centre of shield
mechanics: a protrusion
architecture: knob or protrusion

[edit] Verb

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

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

[edit] Etymology 2

Apparently a corruption of bass.

[edit] Noun

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, 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.
[edit] Synonyms
[edit] Translations
a hassock or footrest

[edit] Etymology 3

From Dutch baas, a term of respect originally used to address an older relative. Later, in New Amsterdam, it began to mean a person in charge who is not a master.

[edit] Noun

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.
    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) A term of address to a man.
    Yes, boss.
  6. (video games) A final enemy in a video game or in a level/major area/dungeon that is particularly challenging and usually must be beaten in order to progress in or to complete the game.
[edit] Synonyms
[edit] Derived terms
[edit] Translations
supervisor
person in charge
leader, head of an organised team
head of a political party
term of address to a man
enemy in video game
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.
Translations to be checked

[edit] Verb

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

  1. (transitive) To exercise authoritative control over; to lord over; to boss around; to tell (someone) what to do, often repeatedly.
    • 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, [...]
[edit] Derived terms
[edit] Translations
to exercise authority over (someone)

[edit] Adjective

boss (not comparable)

  1. (slang, Liverpudlian) Of excellent quality, first-rate.

[edit] Anagrams

[edit] Italian

[edit] Etymology

English

[edit] Noun

boss m. inv.

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

[edit] Synonyms

[edit] Norwegian

[edit] Etymology 1

[edit] Alternative forms

[edit] Noun

boss n. (definite singular bosset; uncountable)

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

Used mainly in the Bergen region.

[edit] Etymology 2

[edit] Noun

boss m.

  1. (colloquial) boss, supervisor (someone who oversees work)
  2. boss (final enemy in a video game)
[edit] Inflection
    Inflection of boss
indefinite singular definite singular indefinite plural definite plural
Bokmål m boss bossen bosser bossene
Nynorsk m boss bossen bossar bossane

[edit] Swedish

[edit] Noun

boss c.

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

[edit] Declension

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