Boswell

noun

Bos·​well ˈbäz-ˌwel How to pronounce Boswell (audio)
-wəl
: a person who records in detail the life of a usually famous contemporary
Boswellian
bäz-ˈwe-lē-ən How to pronounce Boswell (audio)
adjective
Boswellize
ˈbäz-wə-ˌlīz How to pronounce Boswell (audio)
-ˌwe-
verb

Word History

Etymology

James Boswell

First Known Use

1858, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Boswell was in 1858

Dictionary Entries Near Boswell

bosun bird

Boswell

Boswellia

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Boswell.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Boswell. Accessed 24 Nov. 2024.

Copy Citation

Share

Biographical Definition

Boswell

biographical name

Bos·​well ˈbäz-ˌwel How to pronounce Boswell (audio)
-wəl
James 1740–1795 Scottish biographer and diarist
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See All

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Plural and Possessive Names: A Guide

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See All

Popular in Wordplay

See All

8 Words with Fascinating Histories

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

Birds Say the Darndest Things

10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)

10 Scrabble Words Without Any Vowels
See All

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
little chihuahua dressing like a turkey for thanksgiving
Giving Thanks Quiz Decide which words express gratitude and which gi...