Word Study
busy
CIDE DICTIONARY
busy, a. [OE. busi, bisi, AS. bysig; akin to D. bezig, LG. besig; cf. Skr. bh to be active, busy.].
- Engaged in some business; hard at work (either habitually or only for the time being); occupied with serious affairs; not idle nor at leisure; as, a busy merchant. [1913 Webster]"Sir, my mistress sends you word
That she is busy, and she can not come." [1913 Webster] - Constantly at work; diligent; active. [1913 Webster]"Busy hammers closing rivets up." [1913 Webster]"Religious motives . . . are so busy in the heart." [1913 Webster]
- Crowded with business or activities; -- said of places and times; as, a busy street. [1913 Webster]"To-morrow is a busy day." [1913 Webster]
- Officious; meddling; foolish active. [1913 Webster]"On meddling monkey, or on busy ape." [1913 Webster]
- Careful; anxious. Chaucer. [1913 Webster]
Syn. -- Diligent; industrious; assiduous; active; occupied; engaged.
busy, v. t. [AS. bysgian.].
To make or keep busy; to employ; to engage or keep engaged; to occupy; as, to busy one's self with books. [1913 Webster]
"Be it thy course to busy giddy minds
With foreign quarrels." [1913 Webster]
With foreign quarrels." [1913 Webster]
OXFORD DICTIONARY
busy, adj., v., & n.
--adj. (busier, busiest)
1 (often foll. by in, with, at, or pres. part.) occupied or engaged in work etc. with the attention concentrated (busy at their needlework; he was busy packing).
2 full of activity or detail; fussy (a busy evening; a picture busy with detail).
3 employed continuously; unresting (busy as a bee).
4 meddlesome; prying.
5 esp. US (of a telephone line) engaged.
--v.tr. (-ies, -ied) (often refl.) keep busy; occupy (the work busied him for many hours; busied herself with the accounts).
--n. (pl. -ies) sl. a detective; a policeman.
--adj. (busier, busiest)
1 (often foll. by in, with, at, or pres. part.) occupied or engaged in work etc. with the attention concentrated (busy at their needlework; he was busy packing).
2 full of activity or detail; fussy (a busy evening; a picture busy with detail).
3 employed continuously; unresting (busy as a bee).
4 meddlesome; prying.
5 esp. US (of a telephone line) engaged.
--v.tr. (-ies, -ied) (often refl.) keep busy; occupy (the work busied him for many hours; busied herself with the accounts).
--n. (pl. -ies) sl. a detective; a policeman.
Idiom
busy Lizzie a house-plant, Impatiens Walleriana, with usu. toothed leaves and pendulous flowers.
Derivative
busily adv. busyness n. (cf. BUSINESS).
Etymology
OE bisig
THESAURUS
busy
absorb, active, arabesque, assiduous, at it, at work, attend to business, baroque, burden, bustling, busybody, chichi, complex, complicated, detailed, devote, diligent, divert, drive, elaborate, elegant, employ, employed, energetic, engage, engaged, engross, fag, fancy, fine, flamboyant, florid, flowery, forward, frilly, full of business, fussy, hard at it, hard at work, hectic, high-wrought, hustling, immerse, impertinent, in harness, industrious, inquisitive, intricate, involve, involved, keep busy, labored, lively, luxuriant, luxurious, meddlesome, meddling, mind the store, moresque, nosy, occupied, occupy, officious, on duty, on the go, on the hop, on the job, on the jump, on the move, on the run, oppress, ornate, ostentatious, overdrive, overelaborate, overelegant, overlabored, overtask, overtax, overwork, overworked, overwrought, pass the time, picturesque, presumptuous, pretty-pretty, prying, pushing, pushy, rich, rococo, self-appointed, snoopy, soak, spend, spend the time, sweat, task, tax, tied up, work, workingROGET THESAURUS
busy
Business
VB pass one's time in, employ one's time in, spend one's time in, employ oneself in, employ oneself upon, occupy oneself with, concern oneself with, make it one's business, undertake, enter a profession, betake oneself to, turn one's hand to, have to do with, office, place, post, chargeship, incumbency, living, situation, berth, employ, service, engagement, undertaking, drive a trade, carry on a trade, do a trade, transact a trade, carry on business, do business, transact business, keep a shop, ply one's task, ply one's trade, labor in one's vocation, pursue the even tenor of one's way, attend to business, attend to one's work, officiate, serve, act, act one's part, play one's part, do duty, serve the office of, discharge the office of, perform the office of, perform the duties of, perform the functions of, hold an office, fill an office, fill a place, fill a situation, hold a portfolio, hold a place, hold a situation, be about, be doing, be engaged in, be employed in, be occupied with, be at work on, have one's hands in, have in hand, have on one's hands, have on one's shoulders, bear the burden, have one's hands full, be in the hands of, be on the stocks, be on the anvil, pass through one's hands, Adj, businesslike, workaday, professional, official, functional, busy, on hand, in hand, in one's hands, afoot, on foot, on the anvil, going on, acting, Adv, in the course of business, all in one's day's work, professionally.N business, occupation, employment, pursuit, what one is doing, what one is about, affair, concern, matter, case, matter in hand, irons in the fire, thing to do, agendum, task, work, job, chore, errand, commission, mission, charge, care, duty, part, role, cue, province, function, lookout, department, capacity, sphere, orb, field, line, walk, walk of life, beat, round, routine, race, career, office, place, post, chargeship, incumbency, living, situation, berth, employ, service, engagement, undertaking, vocation, calling, profession, cloth, faculty, industry, art, industrial arts, craft, mystery, handicraft, trade, exercise, work, avocation, press of business, businesslike, workaday, professional, official, functional, busy, on hand, in hand, in one's hands, afoot, on foot, on the anvil, going on, acting, in the course of business, all in one's day's work, professionally Adj, a business with an income at its heels, amoto quaeramus seria ludo, par negotiis neque supra.
Activity
N activity, briskness, liveliness, animation, life, vivacity, spirit, dash, energy, snap, vim, nimbleness, agility, smartness, quickness, velocity, alacrity, promptitude, despatch, dispatch, expedition, haste, punctuality, eagerness, zeal, ardor, perfervidum aingenium, empressement, earnestness, intentness, abandon, vigor, devotion, exertion, industry, assiduity, assiduousness, sedulity, laboriousness, drudgery, painstaking, diligence, perseverance, indefatigation, habits of business, vigilance, wakefulness, sleeplessness, restlessness, insomnia, pervigilium, insomnium, racketing, movement, bustle, stir, fuss, ado, bother, pottering, fidget, fidgetiness, flurry, officiousness, dabbling, meddling, interference, interposition, intermeddling, tampering with, intrigue, press of business, no sinecure, plenty to do, many irons in the fire, great doings, busy hum of men, battle of life, thick of the action, housewife, busy bee, new brooms, sharp fellow, sharp blade, devotee, enthusiast, zealot, meddler, intermeddler, intriguer, busybody, pickthank, hummer, hustler, live man, rustler, active, brisk, brisk as a lark, brisk as a bee, lively, animated, vivacious, alive, alive and kicking, frisky, spirited, stirring, nimble, nimble as a squirrel, agile, light-footed, nimble-footed, featly, tripping, quick, prompt, yare, instant, ready, alert, spry, sharp, smart, fast, quick as a lamplighter, expeditious, awake, broad awake, go-ahead, live wide-awake, forward, eager, strenuous, zealous, enterprising, in earnest, resolute, industrious, assiduous, diligent, sedulous, notable, painstaking, intent, indefatigable, unwearied, unsleeping, never tired, plodding, hard-working, businesslike, workaday, bustling, restless, restless as a hyena, fussy, fidgety, pottering, busy, busy as hen with one chicken, working, at work, on duty, in harness, up in arms, on one's legs, at call, up and doing, up and stirring, busy, occupied, hard at work, hard at it, up to one's ears in, full of business, busy as a bee, busy as a one-armed paperhanger, meddling, meddlesome, pushing, officious, overofficious, intrigant, astir, stirring, agoing, afoot, on foot, in full swing, eventful, on the alert, actively, with life and spirit, with might and main &c, with haste, with wings, full tilt, in mediis rebus, Int, be alive, look alive, look sharp!, move on, push on!, keep moving!, go ahead!, stir your stumps!, age quod agis!, jaldi!, karo!, step lively!, carpe diem, seize the day, nulla dies sine linea, nec mora nec requies, the plot thickens, No sooner said than done, veni vidi vici, catch a weasel asleep, abends wird der Faule fleissig, dictum ac factum, schwere Arbeit in der Jugend ist sanfte Ruhe im Al, hard work in youth means soft rest in age, the busy hum of men, activity, briskness, liveliness, animation, life, vivacity, spirit, dash, energy, snap, vim, nimbleness, agility, smartness, quickness, velocity, alacrity, promptitude, despatch, dispatch, expedition, haste, punctuality, eagerness, zeal, ardor, perfervidum aingenium, empressement, earnestness, intentness, abandon, vigor, devotion, exertion, industry, assiduity, assiduousness, sedulity, laboriousness, drudgery, painstaking, diligence, perseverance, indefatigation, habits of business, vigilance, wakefulness, sleeplessness, restlessness, insomnia, pervigilium, insomnium, racketing, movement, bustle, stir, fuss, ado, bother, pottering, fidget, fidgetiness, flurry, officiousness, dabbling, meddling, interference, interposition, intermeddling, tampering with, intrigue, press of business, no sinecure, plenty to do, many irons in the fire, great doings, busy hum of men, battle of life, thick of the action, housewife, busy bee, new brooms, sharp fellow, sharp blade, devotee, enthusiast, zealot, meddler, intermeddler, intriguer, busybody, pickthank, hummer, hustler, live man, rustler, active, brisk, brisk as a lark, brisk as a bee, lively, animated, vivacious, alive, alive and kicking, frisky, spirited, stirring, nimble, nimble as a squirrel, agile, light-footed, nimble-footed, featly, tripping, quick, prompt, yare, instant, ready, alert, spry, sharp, smart, fast, quick as a lamplighter, expeditious, awake, broad awake, go-ahead, live wide-awake, forward, eager, strenuous, zealous, enterprising, in earnest, resolute, industrious, assiduous, diligent, sedulous, notable, painstaking, intent, indefatigable, unwearied, unsleeping, never tired, plodding, hard-working, businesslike, workaday, bustling, restless, restless as a hyena, fussy, fidgety, pottering, busy, busy as hen with one chicken, working, at work, on duty, in harness, up in arms, on one's legs, at call, up and doing, up and stirring, busy, occupied, hard at work, hard at it, up to one's ears in, full of business, busy as a bee, busy as a one-armed paperhanger, meddling, meddlesome, pushing, officious, overofficious, intrigant, astir, stirring, agoing, afoot, on foot, in full swing, eventful, on the alert, actively, with life and spirit, with might and main &c, with haste, with wings, full tilt, in mediis rebus, Int, be alive, look alive, look sharp!, move on, push on!, keep moving!, go ahead!, stir your stumps!, age quod agis!, jaldi!, karo!, step lively!, carpe diem, seize the day, nulla dies sine linea, nec mora nec requies, the plot thickens, No sooner said than done, veni vidi vici, catch a weasel asleep, abends wird der Faule fleissig, dictum ac factum, schwere Arbeit in der Jugend ist sanfte Ruhe im Al, hard work in youth means soft rest in age, the busy hum of men.For further exploring for "busy" in Webster Dictionary Online
