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Added 7 October 2026

busy

/ˈbɪz.i/ adjective

In Latin: occupātus, celeber Wiktionary

adjective Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about busy at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Crowded with business or activities; having a great deal going on.
Be careful crossing that busy street.
Engaged with or preoccupied by an activity or person.
The director cannot see you now: he's busy.
Having much work to do; having much to get done.

noun

A police officer.

verb

To make somebody busy or active; to occupy.
On my vacation I'll busy myself with gardening.

Origin

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 English pronunciation with /ɪ/ is from the dialects of the East Midlands.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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