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bustle

UK/ˈbʌsəl/ US/ˈbʌsʌl/ uncommon obsolete slang uk
verb (1) noun (2)

verb

1.

move or cause to move energetically or busily

  • “The cheerleaders bustled about excitingly before their performance”
Synonyms

noun

1.
2.

a framework worn at the back below the waist for giving fullness to a woman''s skirt

Origin

From Middle English bustlen, bustelen, bostlen, perhaps an alteration of *busklen (> Modern English buskle), a frequentative of Middle English busken (“to prepare; make ready”), from Old Norse búask (“to prepare oneself”); or alternatively from a frequentative form of Middle English busten, bisten (“to buffet; pummel; dash; beat”) + -le. Compare also Icelandic bustla (“to splash; bustle”). The etymology of noun sense 3 is uncertain, perhaps related to busk (“strip in a corset”) or German Buschel.

Phrases

  • hustle and bustle

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

Entails

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.