Added 9 October 2026
bustle
/ˈbʌsəl/ noun
noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about bustle at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
verb
-
Move or cause to move energetically or busily.
The cheerleaders bustled about excitingly before their performance
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.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)