Where does “bossy” come from?
Bossy derives from English boss, which comes from English bass, which comes from English bast, which comes from Latin -ia, which comes from Ancient Greek βάσις, which comes from English base.
bossy (English): Tending to give orders to others, especially when...
Definitions
- Tending to give orders to others, especially when...
Ancestry of “bossy”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | boss | A person who oversees and directs the work of... |
| 2 | Middle English | bos | — |
| 3 | Old French | boce | swelling |
| 4 | Vulgar Latin | bottia | bump |
| 5 | Frankish | bottija | — |
| 6 | Frankish | bōtan | to strike, knock down |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | bautaną | to beat, push |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰewd- | to hit, strike; to beat, push; to strike, push,... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰew- | to grow, swell; to swell, wax, grow; to blow; to... |