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bosser

Etymology and origin of the French word bosser

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Confidence
Uncertain
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1878

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /bɔ.se/[1]

Forms

bosser[1]

Etymology

The origin is uncertain.[2][3] It is probably derived from bosse “hump” with a verb ending: the Petit Robert and the GLLF start from a regional bosser du dos, to be bent over one's work, and Rey from the sense “to stoop” found in the dialects of western France.[3][4][2][1] Rey does not rule out a borrowing from a craft vocabulary, the fine arts (ronde-bosse) or the navy (the other verb of that spelling, to fix with stoppers).[2][1] The older verb meaning “to have bumps” is recorded as the participle bocié about 1170.[2][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Gaston Esnault records it in 1878 in the sense “to work”.[4][3]

Semantic evolution

First slang, then familiar, it has become the common informal word for working hard.[2] It is also used transitively, bosser un examen, to study hard for it.[3][6] The noun bosseur, a hard worker, dates from 1908.[7] In Quebec French the old sense “to give someone bumps” survives.[2]

Timeline

  • c. 1170 – Bocié “bumpy”.[2]
  • 1878 – “To work”.[4][3]
  • 1908 – Bosseur.[7]

Meanings

Verb

  1. (familiar) To work, especially hard: il bosse dur, je bosse avec lui depuis un an.[3][6]
  2. (familiar, transitive) To study hard for, swot up: bosser son examen.[3][8]

Word family

  • bosseur
  • bosse
  • bûcher

Usage notes

A separate verb bosser (1516) is a sailors' term for securing a cable with stoppers (bosses); it comes from the nautical sense of bosse.[7][3][9]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b c Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  5. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  6. ^ a b Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)
  7. ^ a b c Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
  8. ^ Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
  9. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
Cite this entry

“Bosser.” Etymologically, 18 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/bosser. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·