Boss in Different Languages
Discover 'Boss' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Boss
Afrikaans baas | ||
Albanian shefi | ||
Amharic አለቃ | ||
Arabic رئيس | ||
Armenian շեֆ | ||
Assamese বছ | ||
Aymara jiphi | ||
Azerbaijani boss | ||
Bambara patɔrɔn | ||
Basque nagusia | ||
Belarusian начальнік | ||
Bengali বস | ||
Bhojpuri मालिक | ||
Bosnian šef | ||
Bulgarian шефе | ||
Catalan cap | ||
Cebuano boss | ||
Chinese (Simplified) 老板 | ||
Chinese (Traditional) 老闆 | ||
Corsican patrone | ||
Croatian šef | ||
Czech šéf | ||
Danish chef | ||
Dhivehi ބޮޑުމީހާ | ||
Dogri सरदार | ||
Dutch baas | ||
English boss | ||
Esperanto estro | ||
Estonian ülemus | ||
Ewe amegã | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) boss | ||
Finnish pomo | ||
French patron | ||
Frisian baas | ||
Galician xefe | ||
Georgian ბოსი | ||
German boss | ||
Greek αφεντικό | ||
Guarani momba'apohára | ||
Gujarati બોસ | ||
Haitian Creole bòs | ||
Hausa shugaba | ||
Hawaiian luna | ||
Hebrew בּוֹס | ||
Hindi मालिक | ||
Hmong tus thawj coj | ||
Hungarian főnök | ||
Icelandic yfirmann | ||
Igbo onye isi | ||
Ilocano mangidadaulo | ||
Indonesian bos | ||
Irish boss | ||
Italian capo | ||
Japanese ボス | ||
Javanese bos | ||
Kannada ಮೇಲಧಿಕಾರಿ | ||
Kazakh бастық | ||
Khmer ថៅកែ | ||
Kinyarwanda umuyobozi | ||
Konkani बॉस | ||
Korean 사장님 | ||
Krio bɔs | ||
Kurdish şef | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) سەرۆک | ||
Kyrgyz босс | ||
Lao ນາຍຈ້າງ | ||
Latin dominus | ||
Latvian priekšnieks | ||
Lingala mokonzi | ||
Lithuanian bosas | ||
Luganda omukulu | ||
Luxembourgish chef | ||
Macedonian шеф | ||
Maithili मालिक | ||
Malagasy lehibeny | ||
Malay bos | ||
Malayalam ബോസ് | ||
Maltese kap | ||
Maori rangatira | ||
Marathi बॉस | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) ꯃꯄꯨ | ||
Mizo hotu | ||
Mongolian босс | ||
Myanmar (Burmese) သူဌေး | ||
Nepali मालिक | ||
Norwegian sjef | ||
Nyanja (Chichewa) bwana | ||
Odia (Oriya) ମାଲିକ | ||
Oromo gooftaa | ||
Pashto باس | ||
Persian رئیس | ||
Polish szef | ||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) patrão | ||
Punjabi ਬੌਸ | ||
Quechua kamachiq | ||
Romanian șef | ||
Russian босс | ||
Samoan pule | ||
Sanskrit स्वामी | ||
Scots Gaelic boss | ||
Sepedi molaodi | ||
Serbian шефе | ||
Sesotho mookameli | ||
Shona mukuru | ||
Sindhi باس | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) ලොක්කා | ||
Slovak šéf | ||
Slovenian šef | ||
Somali madax | ||
Spanish jefe | ||
Sundanese bos | ||
Swahili bosi | ||
Swedish chef | ||
Tagalog (Filipino) boss | ||
Tajik саркор | ||
Tamil முதலாளி | ||
Tatar начальник | ||
Telugu బాస్ | ||
Thai เจ้านาย | ||
Tigrinya ሓላፊ | ||
Tsonga boso | ||
Turkish patron | ||
Turkmen başlyk | ||
Twi (Akan) owura | ||
Ukrainian бос | ||
Urdu باس | ||
Uyghur خوجايىن | ||
Uzbek boshliq | ||
Vietnamese ông chủ | ||
Welsh bos | ||
Xhosa umphathi | ||
Yiddish באַלעבאָס | ||
Yoruba ọga | ||
Zulu umphathi |
Etymology & Notes
| Language | Etymology / Notes |
|---|---|
| Afrikaans | Baas's etymological roots lie in the Dutch title 'baas', meaning 'master' or 'overseer' of a workshop. |
| Albanian | The word "shefi" in Albanian can also refer to a "head waiter" or a "supervisor." |
| Amharic | In ancient times, "aläqa" referred to the one who manages a group of people or who is in charge of affairs. |
| Arabic | The word "رئيس" can also mean "head" or "chief" in Arabic, and is derived from the root "ر-أ-س" (r-ʾ-s), meaning "head" or "top". |
| Armenian | The Armenian word «շեֆ» («boss») also means «chef» as in a culinary context. |
| Azerbaijani | The term "boss" (or "bos") originates from the Proto-Indo-European root word "*gʷʰostis" meaning "lord" or "master."} |
| Basque | The word nagusia also means 'master' or 'lord' and comes from the Latin word 'dominus', meaning 'owner' or 'lord'. |
| Belarusian | The Belarusian word "начальнік" (boss) originates from the Proto-Slavic word "*načьnьnikъ", meaning "one who begins" or "one who leads". |
| Bengali | The word "বস" (boss) in Bengali also means "to reside" or "to live". |
| Bosnian | Šef can also mean 'chief' and it's cognate with the English word 'chief' and the German word 'Chef'. |
| Bulgarian | The word "шефе" derives from the French word "chef" and can also mean "cook" or "head" in Bulgarian. |
| Catalan | In Catalan, "cap" can also mean "head" or "top" of something. |
| Cebuano | The Cebuano word "boss" can also mean "to lead or oversee a group or organization." |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 老板 initially meant 'store manager' and later extended to 'boss'; it can also be a polite form of address for men in certain contexts. |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 老闆 (lǎobǎn) can also mean 'owner' or 'employer', and originated from the phrase '老 (lǎo)' meaning 'old' and '闆 (bǎn)' meaning 'board', referring to the owner of a store who would often sit behind a counter or board. |
| Corsican | In Corsican, "patrone" can also refer to a priest, landowner, or head of a family or clan. |
| Croatian | The word 'šef' in Croatian is borrowed from Turkish 'şef', which means 'head' or 'chief'. |
| Czech | The word "šéf" can also be used to describe a person who is in charge of a particular task or project. |
| Danish | In Denmark, "chef" is also a term of respect with connotations of expertise. |
| Dutch | In Southern Africa, the word "baas" is also used to address a white male supervisor, especially within the context of farming and mining. |
| Esperanto | The word "estro" is a shortening of "estrostro", which is derived from the Greek word "stratēgos" meaning "leader, commander" and from which are also derived the English word "strategy" and the Spanish word "estrategia". |
| Estonian | "Ülemus" is the Estonian word for "boss", which is a loanword from German "Obermann", meaning "upper man". |
| Finnish | The word "pomo" has various other meanings and can be used in a variety of contexts. |
| French | In French, "patron" can also mean "pattern"} |
| Frisian | The word "baas" in Frisian can also refer to a farmer or a landlord in some regions. |
| Galician | The word "xefe" in Galician can also be used to refer to a person who has authority or is respected for their skill or experience in a particular area. |
| Georgian | The word "ბოსი" (pronounced "bo-see") can also mean "chief" or "leader" in Georgian. |
| German | The word "Boss" is derived from the Middle Dutch "boes" and the Old High German "bōzo", meaning "master, lord, or commander." |
| Greek | The word "αφεντικό" derives from the Ottoman Turkish word "efendi," meaning master or teacher. |
| Gujarati | "બોસ" is the Gujarati form of the Portuguese word "bossa", meaning "hump" or "lump on the body". |
| Haitian Creole | The Haitian Creole word "bòs" can also mean "foreman" or "supervisor". |
| Hausa | Shugaba also refers to the leader of an organization and is derived from the Arabic "shaykh" |
| Hawaiian | "Luna" also means "to rise, float, or overflow" |
| Hebrew | The word "בּוֹס" (boss) in Hebrew can also mean "husband" or "a fragrant oil". |
| Hindi | The Hindi word 'मालिक' ('boss') can also refer to an 'owner', or to 'God'. |
| Hmong | The Hmong word for "boss" or leader, "tus thawj coj," is a combination of three words meaning head elder ruler or leader. |
| Hungarian | "Főnök" is also the Hungarian word for "hairdryer", which is related to the act of "drying hair" ("hajszárítás") |
| Icelandic | The word "yfirmann" is derived from the Old Norse word "yfirmaðr", meaning "a man who is over others". |
| Igbo | "Onye isi" literally translates to "head of the head". In this context, it refers to someone who is in charge or a leader. |
| Indonesian | The Indonesian word "bos" can also mean "cattle" or "cow", derived from the Dutch word "boos" which has the same meaning. |
| Irish | The Irish word "bossa" also means "a hollow in a river bank". |
| Italian | The word `capo` originated from the Latin word `caput` which means head, leading to its additional meanings such as "head of the table" and "head of a family." |
| Japanese | The word 「ボス」 "boss" is an abbreviation of the Dutch word 「baas」 "master". |
| Javanese | In Javanese, "bos" can also refer to a person in charge of a group or a leader of a gang. |
| Kannada | The term "ಮೇಲಧಿಕಾರಿ" is a borrowing from the Persian word "mezdar", meaning "overseer" or "master". |
| Kazakh | The term "бастық" in Kazakh shares its root with the word "бас" meaning "head" and is also used to refer to a leader or chief. |
| Khmer | The term "ថៅកែ" can also refer to a foreman or supervisor in a workplace. |
| Korean | "사장님" literally means "room leader" or "house leader" in Korean. |
| Kurdish | The word "şef" is also used in Kurdish to describe a person who is respected and admired for their knowledge and skills. |
| Kyrgyz | The word "босс" can also refer to a leader or elder in Kyrgyz. |
| Latin | The word "dominus" in Latin also means "lord" or "master". |
| Latvian | The word "priekšnieks" in Latvian derives from the word "priekša", meaning "front" or "foremost". |
| Lithuanian | The word "bosas" is thought to be derived from the Indo-European root *bheu- "to grow" or "to swell," and is related to the German "Boss" and the English "bump." |
| Luxembourgish | In some contexts, Chef can refer to a foreman of a work group rather than to someone in charge of a business enterprise. |
| Macedonian | Macedonian "шеф" (boss) derives from the French "chef" (leader), related etymologically to English "chief" and "captain". |
| Malagasy | The Malagasy word 'lehibeny' also refers to a head of a family or village. |
| Malay | In Malay, "bos" also means "cow" or "buffalo". |
| Malayalam | The word "boss" in Malayalam is derived from the Portuguese word "boce", which means "mouth" or "face". |
| Maltese | The word "kap" is derived from the Arabic word "qaab", meaning "head" or "chief." |
| Maori | The word "rangatira" in Maori can also mean "aristocrat" or "chieftain". |
| Marathi | The word "बॉस" is also used to refer to a child or young boy. |
| Mongolian | In Mongolian, "босс" can also refer to the head of a household or a herdsman. |
| Myanmar (Burmese) | The word "သူဌေး" (boss) in Myanmar (Burmese) is not only a term of address for a person in authority but also has the alternate meaning of "wealthy person" or "rich man". |
| Nepali | Nepali word "मालिक" (boss) is derived from the Sanskrit word "स्वामी" (master) and can also mean "owner" or "lord". |
| Norwegian | Sjef can also be used to describe an important or influential person or organization. |
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | The word "bwana" comes from the Swahili word "buana", which means "master" or "mister", and has a connotation of authority and respect. |
| Pashto | The word "باس" ("boss") in Pashto can also refer to a "master" or "owner" of a house or property. |
| Persian | The word رئیس is a loanword from Arabic, where its original meaning is "head". Today, it is used in Persian to refer to "boss" or "chief". |
| Polish | The word "szef" originally meant "judge" or "arbitrator". |
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | "Patrão" in Portuguese comes from the Latin "patronus", meaning "protector". Its alternate meaning of "owner" reflects the feudal relationships of the past. |
| Punjabi | In Punjabi, "ਬੌਸ" (boss) may also refer to a large earthenware pot with a wide mouth, used for storage purposes. |
| Romanian | In Romanian, "șef" can also refer to the head of a monastery or a leader of a gang. |
| Russian | The word "босс" also has a secondary meaning of a "bulge" or "bump". |
| Samoan | The Samoan word 'pule' also means 'government' or 'authority'. |
| Scots Gaelic | In Scots Gaelic, "boss" has an additional meaning of "a large or important person or thing". |
| Serbian | The word "шефе" (boss) in Serbian derives from the French "chef" (chief), and can also refer to a person's head or chief. |
| Sesotho | "Mookameli" also means "the one who works" or "the one who has the power." |
| Shona | The word 'mukuru' in Shona is often used as a respectful term for an elder or esteemed individual, similar to the use of 'sir' or 'madam' in English. |
| Sindhi | Derived from the Persian word "boss" meaning "a foreman or supervisor". |
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | The word "ලොක්කා" is derived from the Portuguese word "loca," meaning "crazy" or "mad." |
| Slovak | In Slovak, the word "šéf" can also refer to the head of an organized crime group. |
| Slovenian | The word “še,” which means “more,” is an alternative form for “šef” in Slovenian. |
| Somali | The word "madax" in Somali also means "the tip of the tongue". |
| Spanish | Jefe comes from the Arabic word "shaykh" via the French "chef", and used to mean "chief" or "leader". |
| Sundanese | The Sundanese word "bos" can also refer to a foreman, overseer, or supervisor. |
| Swahili | In Swahili, "bosi" can also refer to a foreman, chief, or supervisor. |
| Swedish | The Swedish word 'chef' originally referred to the head of a household or a group of people, and later came to mean 'boss' or 'manager'. |
| Tagalog (Filipino) | In Tagalog, "boss" can also refer to a small hole or a pothole in the road. |
| Tajik | In Tajik, "саркор" (boss) derives from the Persian word "سردار" (leader, chief). |
| Tamil | "முதலாளி" also means "investor" or "owner" in some contexts, reflecting the dual role of bosses in the Tamil system. |
| Telugu | The Telugu word "బాస్" (boss) is borrowed from Portuguese and ultimately from Dutch and was later extended to mean an elder brother, a term of respect or endearment. |
| Thai | เจ้านาย is derived from the Khmer word "ññ" meaning "lord" or "master". |
| Turkish | {"text": "The word "patron" originates from the Latin word "pater," meaning "father," and has the alternate meaning of "protector" or "patron saint" in Turkish."} |
| Ukrainian | The Ukrainian word 'бос' can also refer to a barefooted person. |
| Urdu | The word "باس" in Urdu can also refer to a father or an elder brother. |
| Uzbek | In Uzbek the word "bo'shliq" has both the sense of "emptiness" and "boss, chief." |
| Vietnamese | "Ông chủ" literally means "master of the business" and can refer to both male and female superiors. |
| Welsh | The word 'bos' also has meanings such as 'thick', 'clumsy', and 'bump' in Welsh. |
| Xhosa | The word "umphathi" comes from the Zulu word "umphathi" which means "owner, master, or lord." |
| Yiddish | The word 'באַלעבאָס' (boss) in Yiddish is derived from the Hebrew word 'בעל הבית', meaning 'owner of the house'. |
| Yoruba | The Yoruba word "ọga" also means "master" or "owner" and is derived from the verb "gba," meaning "to take" or "to seize." |
| Zulu | The word 'umphathi' originates from the Zulu word 'umphakathi', meaning 'group of people', and connotes a sense of leadership and authority. |
| English | "Boss" originated from the Dutch word "baas" and originally meant "master" or "father", particularly in relation to a ship's captain. |