Forms: 3–5 boce, 4–5 boos, 4–6 bos, 5 bose, 5–6 Sc. boys(s, 6–8 bosse, (7 bosce), 6– boss. [ME. boce, bos, a. OF. boce (mod.F. bosse) = ONF. boche BOTCH, It. bozza; perh. connected with OHG. bôz-an = BEAT v. In ME. boss and botch are partly synonymous, but the former is not recorded in the sense ‘pimple, boil,’ nor the latter in the sense ‘boss of shield,’ ‘ornamental stud.’]
1. A protuberance or swelling on the body of an animal or plant; a convex or knob-like process or excrescent portion of an organ or structure; in 16th c. applied to the lobe of the liver, spleen, etc.; as now used it seems partly transf. from 3.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Parson’s T., ¶ 349. Somme of hem shewen the boce of hir shape.
1541. R. Copland, Guydon’s Quest. Chyrurg. It yssueth out of the bosse of the lyuer.
1658. Rowland, trans. Moufet’s Theat. Ins., 990. It [the grashopper] is of a blackish green colour, having on each side two bunches or bosses of the same colour.
1677. Grew, Anat. Fruits, v. § 13. In the Centre of the Case, stands a great Parenchymous Boss.
1775. Phil. Trans., LXV. 414. The large branches … covered with great bosses and knobs of gum.
1878. Bartley, trans. Topinard’s Anthrop., II. xii. 488. The Frontal bosses are often confluent.
1882. Vines, Sachs’ Bot., 421. The cuticularised exospore, generally provided with ridges, bosses, spines, or granulations.
† b. spec. A hump or hunch on the back. Obs.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 8087. Crumpled knes and boce [Gött. bouch] on bak.
c. 1440. Gesta Rom. (1879), 396. Entred a dwerfe … hauyng … a bose in his back, and Crokid fete.
1835. Kirby, Hab. & Inst. Anim., I. ii. 62. The ox of Surat is stated to have two of these bosses or humps.
† c. A protuberance made by padding the dress. Obs.
c. 1380. Wyclif, Sel. Wks., III. 124. In þis pryde synnen wymmen in makyng of hor bosis.
† d. The big bulk of an animal; a bulky animal.
1399. Langl., Rich. Redeless, III. 98. But tho all the berlingis brast out at ones … That bosse [the bear] was unbounde and brouute to his owene.
1657. Reeve, God’s Plea, Ep. Ded. 3. An Elephant thus praised for his great Bosce, or a fat Bull of Basan for his wellfleshed flanks.
† e. A fat woman. Obs.
1579. Lyly, Euphues, 115. If she be well sette, then call hir a Bosse.
1586. Marlowe, 1st Pt. Tamburl., III. iii. Disdainful Turkess, and unreverend boss.
1632. Sherwood, s.v. Bosse, A fatt Bosse, femme bien grasse et grosse.
2. A knoll or mass of rock; in Geol. applied chiefly to masses of rock protruding through strata of another kind.
1598. Sylvester, Du Bartas, I. vii. (1641), 59/1. Here from a craggy Rocks steep-hanging boss … A silver Brook in broken streams doth gush.
1839. Murchison, Silur. Syst., I. xxxvi. 483. This little boss of Ludlow rocks has been thrust up through the environing coal measures.
1863. A. Ramsay, Phys. Geog., 31. In the midst of a tract of mica-schist … a boss of granite rises.
1879. Rutley, Stud. Rocks, iii. 15. Eruptive rocks which have formed intrusive bosses, or dykes.
3. A round prominence in hammered or carved work, etc.; e.g., a raised ornament in bookbinding (in earlier use, esp. the ‘umbo’ or round knob, often of precious metal, which occupied the center of the cover); one of the metal knobs on each side of the bit of a bridle (F. bossette); a metal stud used for ornament. † In boss: in high relief; cf. F. en bosse.
1382. Wyclif, Isa. iii. 18. The Lord shal don awei the ournement of shon, and boces, and beȝes.
1395. E. E. Wills (1882), 5. A basyn of siluer with boses apon the brerdes.
c. 1440. Promp. Parv., 41. Boce or boos of a booke or oþer lyke [H. booce], turgiolum.
1563–87. Foxe, A. & M., I. 232/2. The bosses of his Bridle were worth a great treasure.
1651. Davenant, Gondibert, II. VI. xlvi. Where all harmonious Instruments they spie Drawn out in Bosse.
1660. Pepys, Diary, 2 Nov. In the afternoon I … saw some silver bosses put upon my new Bible.
1662. Evelyn, Chalcogr. (1769), 18. Those who … work in bosse with the puntion.
1719. De Foe, Crusoe, I. 349. The Bosses of the Bridle had stuck in his Teeth.
1879. Print. Trades Jrnl., XXVI. 8. Enriched with elaborate metal bosses.
b. spec. The convex projection in the center of a shield or buckler.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Miller’s T., 80. A brooch sche baar … As brood as is the boos of a bokeler.
1483. Cath. Angl., 37. A Bose [A. Boste] of a buclere, vmbo.
a. 1547. Surrey, Æneid, II. 287. Hidden behind her targetes bosse they crept.
1611. Bible, Job xv. 26. He runneth vpon him … vpon the thicke bosses of his bucklers.
1729. T. Cooke, Tales, Prop., &c. 117. See on his Shield’s thin Boss the Greecian stand.
1815. Elphinstone, Acc. Caubul (1842), I. 17. A shield of steel, the bosses and rim of which were set with diamonds and rubies.
c. transf. and fig.
1791. Cowper, Odyss., I. 65. In yonder woodland isle, the central boss Of Ocean.
1860. Tyndall, Glac., I. § 5. 39. The sunbeams struck his crown, and converted it into a boss of gold.
1881. Grant Allen, in Knowledge, No. 4. 66. A bee … flies straight towards the blossom and settles on the little boss of carpels in the centre.
† d. = BOSSELL. Obs. rare.
1497. Accts. Founder’s Guild, in Archæol. Jrnl., XLIII. 165. A maser wt a boos and an hert of siluer ouer gilted. Ibid. (1499), 167. A masar wt a hollow boyss prynted with a hewar.
e. Arch. An ornamental projection in a vault at the intersection of the ribs.
1823. Rutter, Fonthill, 9. Bosses of foliage and fruit … cover the intersections.
1849. Freeman, Archit., 393. The spandrils, cornices, and bosses allow of any amount of enrichment.
1884. Church Bells, 6 Sept., 940. In the roof are bosses, on one of which is carved a bear and ragged staff, for Beauchamp.
f. Mech. ‘The enlarged part of a shaft, on which a wheel is keyed, or at the end, where it is coupled to another’ (Webster). Ship-building. The projecting part of the stern-post of a screw steamer, which is pierced for the shaft of the propeller to pass through. (Cf. F. bosse nave of a wheel.)
1869. Sir E. Reed, Shipbuild., iv. 70. The boss on the post was forged in the usual manner. Ibid., xx. 436. Where a plate has a large amount of twist, such as boss plates, &c., special means are employed to ensure accuracy.
1878. Markham, Gt. Frozen Sea, xi. 157. The ice formed so quickly in the ‘boss’ that it … prevented the shaft from entering.
4. A sort of die used by cutlers.
1831. J. Holland, Manuf. Metals, I. 213. From this foundation plate rises the bed or boss. Ibid., II. 23. It [the fork] in this red hot state is next placed in a cut steel boss or die, upon which another boss exactly adapted is made to fall.
5. Attrib. and Comb., as boss-maker; † boss-backed a., hump-backed; boss-nail (see quot.); boss-stone, the stone fixed at the intersection of the ribs in groined vaulting; boss-tip, the point of the boss of a shield; boss-work.
1639. Horn & Robotham, Gate Lang. Unl., xvi. (1643), § 175. For the bosbacked (bunch-backt) camell serves in stead of a waggon.
1580. Hollyband, Treas. Fr. Tong, Bosseteur, a *bossemaker.
1697. Evelyn, Numism., i. 11. Leather Money, through which a small *boss-nail of Silver was struck in the middle.
1879. Sir G. Scott, Lect. Archit., II. 212. They made the upper surface of the *boss-stone horizontal.
1855. Singleton, Virgil, I. 294. And on his buckler’s *boss-tip idly hung.
1697. Lond. Gaz., No. 3347/8. A Cane Couch embroidered with *Boss-work upon green Velvet.
