English word origin

Etymology of bosh

Borrowed from Ottoman Turkish بوش (boş, “empty, unoccupied”). Entered popular usage in English from the novels of James Justinian Morier.

5 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 5 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗

intj

An expression of disbelief or annoyance.

noun

Nonsense.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Borrowed from Ottoman Turkish بوش (boş, “empty, unoccupied”). Entered popular usage in English from the novels of James Justinian Morier.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Borrowed-form mentionبوشota · empty, unoccupied

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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        "3": "بوش",
        "tr": "boş",
        "t": "empty, unoccupied"
      },
      "expansion": "Borrowed from Ottoman Turkish بوش (boş, “empty, unoccupied”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "بوش",
      "بوش#Ottoman_Turkish"
    ]
  ],
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        "An expression of disbelief or annoyance."
      ],
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

noun

The lower part of a blast furnace, between the hearth and the stack.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Probably from German, compare Böschung, böschen

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗

noun

A figure.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Compare German Posse (“farce, burlesque”), Italian bozzo (“a rough stone”), bozzetto (“a rough sketch”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Cognate mentionPossede
Cognate mentionbozzoit

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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        "3": "",
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      },
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    },
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Source etymology 4

Original entry ↗

intj

An expression of speedy and satisfactory completion of a simple or straightforward task.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

An onomatopoeic formation, imitating a sudden blow.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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Source etymology 6

Original entry ↗

noun

A fiddle (musical instrument).

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Borrowed from Romani bosh.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Borrowed-form mentionboshrom

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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    }
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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for bosh →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-Ym9zaA