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Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

bossy en · ADJ · etymology 1

Pronunciation

  • /ˈbɒsi/ (Received-Pronunciation)
  • /ˈbɒsɪ/ (Received-Pronunciation)
  • /ˈbɑsi/ (cot-caught-merger)
  • (Southern-England) audio
  • /ˈbɔsi/ (General-American, Multicultural-London-English)

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *bʰā- Proto-Germanic *bō-? Proto-Germanic *baswô Proto-West Germanic *baswō Old Dutch *baso Middle Dutch baes Dutch baasbor. English boss Proto-Indo-European *-kos Proto-Germanic *-gaz Proto-West Germanic *-g Old English -iġ Middle English -y English -y English bossy From boss + -y.

Meanings

  1. Tending to give orders to others, especially when unwarranted; domineering.
    • Over in the wardrobe department a bossy woman in ill-fitting dungarees tried to talk her into wearing a short red low-cut dress for the test. 1994, Jackie Collins, Hollywood Kids:
    • Cuphead is a difficult gauntlet through a ton of bosses, from evil clowns to bossy queen bees. 2017 October 2, Heather Alexandra, “Cuphead Player Beats Bosses Without Taking A Single Hit”, in Kotaku, archived from the original on 18 Feb 2018:
    • Where American Jewish men contend with stereotypes of being oversexed, needy, nebbishy and neurotic (like Woody Allen, boo hiss), Jewish women are cast as withholding, bossy, exotic, and materialistic (like Fran Drescher, which honestly? Goals). 2019 August 20, Fancy Feast, “On Being a Fetish”, in Jewish Currents, number Summer 2019, archived from the original on 08 Aug 2020:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
bossiest Degree=Sup lexicographic
bossier Degree=Cmp lexicographic

Antonyms

servile · humble · sycophantic

Coordinates

procontrol · sadomasochism · BDSM · antiliberal · might makes right · illiberal

Deriveds

bossily · bossy r · bossyboots · bossiness · overbossy · bossy pants

Relateds

arrogant

Synonyms

iron-handed · monocratic · oppressive · overbearing · forceful · domineering · tyrannical · obtrusive · bossy · commanding · harsh · strict · dominant · dictatorial · inflexible · authoritarian · autocratic · despotic · brassy · demanding · iron-fisted · controlling · heavy-handed · coercive

Translations (33)

de herrschsüchtig (tending to give orders to others) · cs panovačný (tending to give orders to others) · cmn 跋扈 (tending to give orders to others) · sv bossig (tending to give orders to others) · pdt baussich (tending to give orders to others) · ar مُتَسَلِّط (tending to give orders to others) · nl bazig (tending to give orders to others) · pt mandão (tending to give orders to others) · de rechthaberisch (tending to give orders to others) · ca manaire (tending to give orders to others) · ga tiarnúil (tending to give orders to others) · fr autoritaire (tending to give orders to others) · ro autoritar (tending to give orders to others) · pl władczy (tending to give orders to others) · bg властен (tending to give orders to others) · de autoritär (tending to give orders to others) · nb sjefete (tending to give orders to others) · hu dirigál (tending to give orders to others) · cmn 愛發號施令的 /爱发号施令的 (tending to give orders to others) · de herrisch (tending to give orders to others) · ru лю́бящий кома́ндовать (tending to give orders to others) · ro poruncitor (tending to give orders to others) · cy trahaus (tending to give orders to others) · bg обичащ да командва (tending to give orders to others) · gv mainshtyragh (tending to give orders to others) · fi komenteleva (tending to give orders to others) · pl apodyktyczny (tending to give orders to others) · ru вла́стный (tending to give orders to others) · pl rządzący się (tending to give orders to others) · scn cumanneru (tending to give orders to others) · de diktatorisch (tending to give orders to others) · mi tonotono (tending to give orders to others) · es mandón (tending to give orders to others)

bossy en · NOUN · etymology 2

Pronunciation

  • /ˈbɒsi/ (Received-Pronunciation)
  • /ˈbɒsɪ/ (Received-Pronunciation)
  • /ˈbɑsi/ (cot-caught-merger)
  • (Southern-England) audio
  • /ˈbɔsi/ (General-American, Multicultural-London-English)

Etymology

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”)).

Meanings

  1. (US, dated, informal) A cow or calf.
    • A week before, while riding the prairies, Raidler had come upon a sick and weakling calf deserted and bawling. Without dismounting he had reached and slung the distressed bossy across his saddle, and dropped it at the ranch for the boys to attend to. 1903 February, O. Henry [pseudonym; William Sydney Porter], “Hygeia at the Solito”, in Everybody’s Magazine, volume VIII, number 2, New York, N.Y.: John Wanamaker, →ISSN, page 174, column 1:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
bossies Number=Plur lexicographic

bossy en · ADJ · etymology 3

Pronunciation

  • /ˈbɒsi/ (Received-Pronunciation)
  • /ˈbɒsɪ/ (Received-Pronunciation)
  • /ˈbɑsi/ (cot-caught-merger)
  • (Southern-England) audio
  • /ˈbɔsi/ (General-American, Multicultural-London-English)

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *bʰew-der.? Proto-Germanic *bautaną Proto-West Germanic *bautan Frankish *bottjabor. Vulgar Latin *bottia Old French bocebor. Middle English bos English boss Proto-Indo-European *-kos Proto-Germanic *-gaz Proto-West Germanic *-g Old English -iġ Middle English -y English -y English bossy From boss + -y.

Meanings

  1. Ornamented with bosses; studded.

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
most bossy Degree=Sup lexicographic
more bossy Degree=Cmp lexicographic

Antonyms

servile · humble · sycophantic

Coordinates

procontrol · sadomasochism · BDSM · antiliberal · might makes right · illiberal

Relateds

arrogant

Synonyms

authoritarian · iron-handed · monocratic · tyrannical · oppressive · overbearing · forceful · domineering · obtrusive · bossy · harsh · strict · dominant · autocratic · commanding · despotic · brassy · iron-fisted · dictatorial · controlling · heavy-handed · demanding · coercive