Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “bossism” come from?

bossism (English) comes from English boss, from Middle English bos, from Old French boce, from Vulgar Latin bottia, from Frankish bottija, from Frankish bōtan, from Proto-Germanic bautaną, from Proto-Indo-European bʰewd- — to grow, swell; to swell, wax, grow; to blow; to...

bossism (English): The domination of a political party by a single,...

Definitions

  1. The domination of a political party by a single,...

Ancestry of “bossism”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishbossA person who oversees and directs the work of...
2Middle Englishbos—
3Old Frenchboceswelling
4Vulgar Latinbottiabump
5Frankishbottija—
6Frankishbōtanto strike, knock down
7Proto-Germanicbautanąto beat, push
8Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰewd-to hit, strike; to beat, push; to strike, push,...
9Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰew-to grow, swell; to swell, wax, grow; to blow; to...
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰew- →