War, law & ruleEveryday life

boss

Dutch baas was a respectful word for a master or foreman; in New York it gave Americans a way to say 'master' without sounding like servants, and Afrikaans kept it at the Cape. In the 20th century American boss became world slang, from Paris and Berlin to Moscow, Tel Aviv, Jakarta and Tokyo.

Weakest linkCertain

The road to American English

From Dutch to Afrikaans

From American English to French

From American English to Russian

From American English to German

From American English to Modern Hebrew

From American English to Japanese

From American English to Korean

From American English to Indonesian

1300Middle Dutch

Hops are evenly spaced; labels show the year each form is first attested.

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