I. ˈbäs, ˈbȯs noun
Etymology: Middle English boce, from Anglo-French, from Vulgar Latin * bottia
Date: 14th century
1.
a. : a protuberant part or body
a boss of granite
a boss on an animal's horn
b. : a raised ornamentation : stud
c. : an ornamental projecting block used in architecture
2. : a soft pad used in ceramics and glassmaking
3. : the hub of a propeller
[
boss 1c
]
II. transitive verb
Date: 15th century
1. : to ornament with bosses : emboss
2. : to treat (as the surface of porcelain) with a boss
III. noun
Etymology: Dutch baas master
Date: 1653
1. : a person who exercises control or authority ; specifically : one who directs or supervises workers
2. : a politician who controls votes in a party organization or dictates appointments or legislative measures
• boss·dom -dəm noun
• boss·ism ˈbä-ˌsi-zəm, ˈbȯ- noun
IV. ˈbȯs adjective
Date: 1836
slang : excellent , first-rate
V. ˈbȯs transitive verb
Date: 1856
1. : to act as boss of
2. : to give usually arbitrary orders to — usually used with around
VI. ˈbȯs, ˈbäs noun
Etymology: English dialect, young cow
Date: 1790
: cow , calf