Added 7 October 2026
boss
/bɒs/ noun
In Latin: dominus, ipsimus, ipsima Wiktionary
noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about boss at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
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One who is in charge of something. One who oversees and directs the work of others; a supervisor.
The boss of the company was going to Spain for work.
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One who oversees and directs the work of others; a supervisor.
The boss of the company was going to Spain for work.
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A person in charge of a business or company.
Chat turned to whisper when the boss entered the conference room.
verb
- To exercise authoritative control over; to tell (someone) what to do, often repeatedly.
adjective
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Of excellent quality, first-rate.
That is a boss Zefron poster.
noun
- A lump, protuberance, or swelling in an animal, person or object.
- A lump-like mass of rock, especially one projecting through a stratum of different rock.
- A convex protuberance in hammered work, especially the rounded projection in the centre of a shield.
Origin
Borrowed 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.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)