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Dutch baas
- The dominant meaning of boss is that of a supervisor or person in charge. That sense comes from the Dutch baas, brought into English via the Dutch settlement of New Netherlands along the Hudson River valley in what is now New York.
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Where did the term 'boss' come from?
What does boss mean?
Why are they called 'Boss' & 'Blue Boss'?
Is a cow a boss?
Apr 10, 2024 · The dominant meaning of boss is that of a supervisor or person in charge. That sense comes from the Dutch baas , brought into English via the Dutch settlement of New Netherlands along the Hudson River valley in what is now New York.
The earliest known use of the noun boss is in the 1800s. OED's earliest evidence for boss is from 1806, in a letter by Washington Irving, author. boss is a borrowing from Dutch.
Galaga arcade sets in 1981 called the big enemy at the end of some levels the boss as well; calling them "Red Boss" and "Blue Boss". But it's not clear if this was just their name, as the "boss" of the other aliens, or a reference to the modern "boss" term.
Apr 28, 2022 · Coined in the 1640s, the American English word "boss" derives from the Dutch "baas" meaning "a master". Baas is attested from the 1620s as the standard title of a Dutch ship's captain.
Oct 27, 2017 · It turns out that the word for cow in Latin is bos, a term that can also mean ox and bull. Cattle are part of the genus Bos, usually classified as Bos taurus. Merriam-Webster lists cow as one of its definitions for the English noun "boss,"citing the first known use as 1790.
- Taysha Murtaugh
- Lifestyle Editor
- TMurtaugh@hearst.com
Boss has long meant, and continues to mean, a “person in charge,” especially used, of course, in professional contexts. Boss has also long been a slang term for “excellent,” with evidence reaching back to the 1880s.
Apr 7, 2011 · We always laugh because my father-in-law has his own little cattle call: Come Boss. I did a little research to try to figure out where that came from, other than the fact that his father called them that way. I did find that the genus name for cattle (or bovine) is Bos Taurus.
