Etymology

bossy

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Today it means: Tending to give orders to others, especially when unwarranted; domineering. Full definition →

English boss ← Dutch baas ← Middle Dutch baes
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bossy · adjective1

  1. Proto-Indo-European*bʰā-
  2. Proto-Germanic*bō-?
  3. Proto-Germanic*baswô
  4. Proto-West Germanic*baswō
  5. Old Dutch*baso
  6. Middle Dutchbaes
  7. Dutchbaas
  8. Englishboss
  9. English todaybossy

From boss + -y.

bossy · noun2

Diminutive of dialectal English boss + -y, as used in the term boss-calf (which, like buss-calf, is a variant form of boose-calf, a calf kept in a boose (“stall”)).

bossy · adjective3

  1. Proto-Indo-European*bʰew-der.?
  2. Proto-Germanic*bautaną
  3. Proto-West Germanic*bautan
  4. Frankish*bottja
  5. Vulgar Latin*bottia
  6. Old Frenchboce
  7. Middle Englishbos
  8. Englishboss
  9. English todaybossy

From boss + -y.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.