Bosporian
(Bos*po"ri*an) a. [L. Bosporus, G. Bo`sporos, lit., ox-ford, the ox's or heifer's ford, on account
of Io's passage here as a heifer; fr. boy^s ox, heifer + po`ros ford.] Of or pertaining to the Thracian or
the Cimmerian Bosporus.
The Alans forced the Bosporian kings to pay them tribute and exterminated the Taurians.
Tooke.
Bosporus
(Bos"po*rus) n. [L.] A strait or narrow sea between two seas, or a lake and a seas; as, the
Bosporus (formerly the Thracian Bosporus) or Strait of Constantinople, between the Black Sea and Sea
of Marmora; the Cimmerian Bosporus, between the Black Sea and Sea of Azof. [Written also Bosphorus.]
Bosquet
(Bos"quet) n. See Bosket.
Boss
(Boss) n.; pl. Bosses [OE. boce, bose, boche, OF. boce, boche, bosse, F. bosse, of G.
origin; cf. OHG. bozo tuft, bunch, OHG. bozan, MHG. bôzen, to beat. See Beat, and cf. Botch a swelling.]
1. Any protuberant part; a round, swelling part or body; a knoblike process; as, a boss of wood.
2. A protuberant ornament on any work, either of different material from that of the work or of the same,
as upon a buckler or bridle; a stud; a knob; the central projection of a shield. See Umbilicus.
3. (Arch.) A projecting ornament placed at the intersection of the ribs of ceilings, whether vaulted or
flat, and in other situations.
4. [Cf. D. bus box, Dan. bösse.] A wooden vessel for the mortar used in tiling or masonry, hung by a
hook from the laths, or from the rounds of a ladder. Gwilt.
5. (Mech.) (a) The enlarged part of a shaft, on which a wheel is keyed, or at the end, where it is
coupled to another. (b) A swage or die used for shaping metals.
6. A head or reservoir of water. [Obs.]
Boss
(Boss) v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bossed (bost); p. pr. & vb. n. Bossing.] [OE. bocen, fr. OF. bocier.
See the preceding word.] To ornament with bosses; to stud.
Boss
(Boss), n. [D. baas master.] A master workman or superintendent; a director or manager; a political
dictator. [Slang, U. S.]
Bossage
(Boss"age) n. [F. bossage, fr. bosse. See Boss a stud.]
1. (Arch.) A stone in a building, left rough and projecting, to be afterward carved into shape. Gwilt.
2. (Arch.) Rustic work, consisting of stones which seem to advance beyond the level of the building, by
reason of indentures or channels left in the joinings. Gwilt.
Bossed
(Bossed) a. Embossed; also, bossy.
Bosset
(Bos"set) n. [Cf. Boss a stud.] (Zoöl.) A rudimental antler of a young male of the red deer.
Bossism
(Boss"ism) n. The rule or practices of bosses, esp. political bosses. [Slang, U. S.]
Bossy
(Boss"y) a. Ornamented with bosses; studded.
Bossy
(Bos"sy), n. [Dim. fr. Prov. E. boss in boss-calf, buss-calf, for boose-calf, prop., a calf kept in
the stall. See 1st Boose.] A cow or calf; — familiarly so called. [U. S.]
