busy

Adj

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

Noun

A police officer.

Verb

To make somebody busy or active; to occupy.

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈbɪzi/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: bisy

Inherited from Old English: bisiġ

Cognate with Saterland Frisian: biesich

Cognate with Dutch: bezig

Cognate with Low German: besig

Cognate with Old Frisian: bisgia

Cognate with Old English: bisgian

In summary

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.

Synonyms

occupied

engaged

active

lively

crowded

in use

industrious

diligent

energetic

engrossed

occupy

preoccupied

bustling

working

animated

confused

😕

employ

fussy

intense

eventful

hectic

pressure of work

work

untiring

officious

noisy

meddling

interfering

meddlesome

be occupied

busybodied

concentrated

complicated

booked

distracted

disorganised

chaotic

incoherent

disorderly

busy line

blatant

hire

difficult

high season

devoted

hurried

heavy

harried

groggy

glaring