bossed
|bossed|
🇺🇸
/bɔst/
🇬🇧
/bɒst/
(boss)
authority figure
Etymology
'boss' (manager sense) originates from Dutch, specifically the word 'baas', where 'baas' meant 'master'. Also, an older English sense 'boss' (a protuberance) originates from Old French 'bosse', meaning 'hump' or 'lump'.
'boss' (manager) was borrowed into North American English from Dutch 'baas' in the 17th–18th centuries and came to mean 'person in charge'. Separately, the noun 'boss' meaning a rounded protuberance developed from Old French 'bosse' via Middle English and survived in such senses (e.g., a boss on a shield).
The word originally had the physical sense 'hump, bump' (from Old French 'bosse'), while the managerial sense arose later from Dutch 'baas' meaning 'master'; over time English has retained both senses, and the verb 'to boss' (to act as a master or direct others) developed from the managerial sense.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Verb 1
past tense or past participle form of 'boss': to tell people what to do in an authoritative or rude way; to give orders or direct.
She bossed the new team around during the project.
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Adjective 1
having been given orders or directed by a boss (rare; usually seen in phrases like 'bossed about/around').
He felt bossed and undervalued after the meeting.
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Last updated: 2025/09/05 03:11