bossy
UK /ˈbɒsi/ · US /ˈbɔsi/ adjective, noun
Forms bossier bossiest bossies
- adjective Tending to give orders to others, especially when unwarranted; domineering.
- noun (US, informal, dated) A cow or calf.
- adjective Ornamented with bosses; studded.
Synonyms
dictatorial authoritarian commanding tyrannical demanding inflexible autocratic coercive controlling despotic dominant domineering forceful harsh heavy-handed iron-fisted iron-handed monocratic obtrusive brassy dominating high-and-mighty magisterial peremptory
Antonyms
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”)).
Webster’s 1913
- adjective Ornamented with bosses; studded.
- noun A cow or calf; --familiarly so called. [U. S.]
Etymology [Dim. fr. Prov. E. boss in boss-calf, buss-calf, for boose-calf, prop., a calf kept in the stall. See 1st Boose.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “bossy”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details