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busy

Pronunciation: /ˈbɪz.i/

The English word “busy” has 7 meanings listed here.

adjective

  1. Crowded with business or activities; having a great deal going on.
  2. Engaged with or preoccupied by an activity or person.
  3. Having much work to do; having much to get done.
  4. Having a lot going on; complicated or intricate.
  5. Officious; meddling.

noun

  1. A police officer.

verb

  1. To make somebody busy or active; to occupy.

Etymology

From Middle English bisy, busie, from Old English bisiġ (“busy, occupied, diligent”), from Proto-West Germanic *bisīg (“diligent; zealous; busy”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian biesich (“active, diligent, hard-working, industrious”), Dutch bezig (“busy”), Low German besig (“busy”). The spelling with ⟨u⟩ represents the pronunciation of the West Midland and Southern dialects while the Modern…

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