Busy a.

Compared busier, -iest. Forms: 1 bysiʓ, 3 biseȝ, bese, busi, 3–4 bisi, bise, 3–6 besy, bisie, 4 bisaie, bysi(e, bisye, 4–5 bysy, bessy, bissy, (buysy), 4–6 bisy, besye, 5 besie, 5–8 busie, 6 busye, buisie, 7–8 buisy, 8 Sc. bizzie, -y, 5– busy. [OE. bisiʓ, later bysiʓ, = ODu. bezich (mod.Du. bezig), LG. besig; no cognate words are known in any other Teut. or Aryan lang. The ME. typical form was bisi, bisy, bysy: the form busi (with ü = OE. y) occurs in the later text of Layamon, but otherwise the u form is not found before the 15th c.: its prevalence in modern spelling, while the pronunciation is with i, as in ME., is difficult to account for.]

  1.  Occupied with constant attention; actively engaged; doing something that engrosses the attention. Said of persons; also of the mind, the hands, a mental faculty, or the like. (Rare in attrib. use.)

  In the earlier examples (esp. those under b and d) this sense is often not to be distinguished from that of ‘careful, eager, anxious.’ The latter notion has now disappeared, though a trace of it is found in Johnson’s definition, ‘employed with earnestness,’ which does not quite agree with the present usage.

a. 1225.  Ancr. R., 182. So þe sicnesse is more, se þe goldsmið is biseȝure.

c. 1300.  K. Alis., 3906. Whan he Alisaunder besy seoth.

c. 1400.  Destr. Troy, 6047. Bise was the buerne all the bare night.

1570.  Levins, Manip., 103. Busie, satagens, intentus.

1596.  Shaks., Tam. Shr., V. ii. 81. She is busie, and she cannot come.

1611.  Bible, 1 Kings xx. 40. As thy seruant was busie here and there.

1690.  W. Walker, Idiomat. Anglo-Lat., 74. You are as busie as a bee.

1752.  Johnson, Rambl., No. 201, ¶ 12. Time slips … away, while he is either idle or busy.

1802.  Southey, Thalaba, IV. xiv. The youth, whose busy mind Dwelt on Lobabu’s … words.

1843.  Carlyle, Past & Pr., III. xii. (1872), 178. A People energetically busy; heaving, struggling, all shoulders at the wheel.

1883.  Froude, Short Stud., IV. II. i. 170. His children knew him as a continually busy, useful man of the world.

Mod.  Don’t interrupt me, I’m busy.

  b.  Const. about, † after, † of, on, upon, over, with (an object of attention).

a. 1000.  Sal. & Sat. (Gr.), 61. Bysiʓ æfter bocum.

a. 1225.  Ancr. R., 142. Bisi abuten gostliche biȝete.

c. 1340.  Cursor M., 192 (App. iii. Laud MS.). Of martha also that buysy [v.r. bysy, bisy, bessy] was abowte cryst þo.

c. 1380.  Wyclif, Rule St. Francis, ii. (1880), 40. Þat þei be not bisi of here temporal goodis.

1599.  Shaks., Much Ado, I. ii. 3. He is verie busie about it.

1712.  Addison, Spect., No. 329, ¶ 1. He had been very busy … upon Baker’s Chronicle.

1719.  De Foe, Crusoe (1840), I. xvi. 285. He was so busy about his father.

1823.  Lamb, Elia, Ser. I. ii. (1865), 15. Busy as a moth over some rotten archive.

1876.  Green, Short Hist., v. § 3 (1882), 231. Busy with the cares of political office.

  c.  Const. in (an employment). Often with vbl. sb.; in which construction the prep. is now commonly omitted, so that the vbl. sb. becomes indistinguishable from the pr. pple.

a. 1225.  Ancr. R., 84. Þus ha beoð bisie i þisse fule mester.

a. 1500.  Knt. & Wife (Halliw.). Be bessy in Godis servys.

1663.  Sir C. Lyttelton, in Hatton Corr. (1878), 30. I am soe buisy … in the dispatch of a fleete.

c. 1680.  Beveridge, Serm. (1729), I. 430. Busie in providing a suitable entertainment.

1702.  Rowe, Amb. Step-Moth., I. i. 235. So busie were my faculties in thought.

1713.  Addison, Guardian, No. 112, ¶ 1. Busy in finding out the art of flying.

Mod.  I found him busy packing his trunk.

  † d.  Const. for. Also with inf. Obs.

c. 1340.  Richard Rolle of Hampole, Prick of Conscience, 5489. Þe devels … Þat to tempte men … ay er bysy.

c. 1380.  Wyclif, Serm., xv. Sel. Wks. I. 36. Men … shulden be bisye for blisse.

c. 1440.  Gesta Rom. (1879), 245. Late vs be euer besye to plese god.

1533.  More, Answ. Poyson. Bk., Wks. (1557), 1036/1. The leche that … sytteth by the sicke man busye aboute to cure hym.

1629.  S’hertogenbosh, 21. The English were busie to fill the ditch.

1726.  Life of Penn, in Wks., I. 138. Busie for Forms.

  † e.  euphemistic. To be busy with: to have to do with (sexually). Obs.

1612.  Pasquil’s Night-Cap (1877), 31 (N.).

1687.  Dryden, Hind & P., III. xiii. 7. The Wolf has been too busie in your bed.

1728.  Vanbr. & Cib., Prov. Husb., II. i. You would have the impudence to Sup, and be busy with her.

  2.  Said of things; fig. of passions, etc.

a. 1000.  Byrhtnoth (Gr.), 110. Boʓan wæron bysiʓe.

c. 1750.  Shenstone, Ruin’d Ab., 15. Birds … With busy pinion skim the … wave.

1813.  Scott, Rokeby, I. iii. Grief was busy in his breast.

1827.  Carlyle, Transl., Libussa (1874), 63. The screeching of the busy saw.

1855.  H. Reed, Lect. Eng. Lit., iv. (1878), 143. Time is busy in the work of change.

1863.  Kinglake, Crimea (1876), I. vii. 104. For many days rumour was busy.

1876.  Green, Short Hist., vi. § 3 (1882), 290. Busy as was Caxton’s printing-press.

  † 3.  Occupied to the full or to the limit of one’s powers: in phrase To be busy to do (a thing): to be fully occupied with it alone, to have enough to do to … Obs. (Cf. ALBYSI.)

c. 1386.  Chaucer, Knt.’s T., 1584. Swich strif … Bitwixe Venus … And Mars … That Iuppiter was bisy it to stente.

1387.  Trevisa, Higden, Rolls Ser. IV. 453. Þe Est ȝate … was so hevy of sound bras þat twenty men were besy i-now for to tende it.

c. 1400.  Destr. Troy, 10388. Þe kyng … harmyt hym sore, Þat bisi was þe buerne to bide in his sadill.

  4.  Constantly or habitually occupied; full of business, always employed. Also of things: Constantly in motion or activity.

c. 1205.  Lay., 2837. He wes a swiðe bisi [1275 busi] mon.

c. 1386.  Chaucer, Knt.’s T., 633 (Harl. MS. 7334). The busy [v.r. bisy, besye, besy, bysy, besi] larke, messager of daye.

1548.  Latimer, Serm. Ploughers (Arb.), 38. No Lordelie loyterer … but a busie ploughe man.

1628.  Earle, Microcosm. (Arb.), 34. The busie mans recreation, the idle mans businesse.

1642.  T. Taylor, God’s Judgem., I. I. xv. 42. A busie-doer in setting up stakes for the burning of poore Martyrs.

1702.  Rowe, Amb. Step-Moth., I. i. 220. The Etherial Energy That busie restless Principle.

1814.  Scott, Wav., I. viii. 102. Curiosity, the busiest passion of the idle.

1831.  Carlyle, Sart. Res., I. iii. (1871), 10. A most busy brain.

Mod.  How can so busy a man find time for visiting?

  † b.  Devoted to business; diligent, active, industrious. Obs.

c. 1470.  Henry, Wallace, III. 390. He in wer was besy, wycht and wyss.

c. 1500.  Lancelot, 2449. He was bissy and was deligent.

  5.  In bad sense: Active in what does not concern one; prying, inquisitive, meddlesome, officious; restless, fussy, importunate. Cf. BUSYBODY.

c. 1400.  Maundev., xxix. 295. Thei asked him [Alisandre], whi he was so proud and so fierce and so besy.

c. 1475.  Lerne or be L., 2, in Babees Bk. (1868), 9. To Bolde, ne to Besy, ne Bourde nat to large.

1530.  Palsgr., 306/1. Besy, malapert or medlyng in maters, entremetteux.

1580.  Baret, Alv., B 1585. A Busie man: a medler in all matters.

1679.  Trials Green, etc. for Murder of Sir E. Godfrey, 14. He was a busie man, and … would do a great deal of mischief.

1740–61.  Mrs. Delany, Life & Corr. (1862), III. 299. That little busy, mischievous fiend, jealousy.

1809–10.  Coleridge, Friend (1865), 55. A busy and inquisitorial tyranny.

  † 6.  Solicitous, anxious, uneasy; careful, attentive (see note under 1). Of desires, prayers, etc.: Earnest, eager, importunate. Obs.

c. 1380.  Wyclif, Wks. (1880), 362. Bissy study and contemplacyon.

c. 1391.  Chaucer, Astrol., Prol. Thy bisi preyere … to lerne the tretis of the astrelabie.

1406.  Occleve, Misrule, 25. My grief and bisy smert.

1413.  Lydg., Pylgr. Sowle, IV. xxiv. 70. Besy entendement to that that she techeth.

1483.  Cath. Angl., 29/1. To make besy, solicitare.

  † b.  phr. To do one’s busy pain (diligence, cure): to exert oneself diligently, to do what one can. Obs. Cf. BUSINESS 8.

c. 1387.  Chaucer, Truth, 108. Do your bysy peyne To wasshe away our cloudeful offense.

c. 1460.  J. Russell, Bk. Nurture, in Babees Bk. (1868), 199. My copy … whiche to drawe out [I] haue do my besy diligence.

1502.  Arnolde, Chron. (1811), 238. This lytil yle … For to repayre, do ay thy besy cure.

  7.  Of actions, employments, conditions, etc.: Energetically carried on; pursued with vigor; active; that keeps one constantly occupied.

1548.  Latimer, Serm. Ploughers (Arb.), 24. Right prelatynge is busye labourynge.

1718.  Pope, Iliad, XVI. 778. On every side the busy combat grows.

1815.  L. Hunt, Notes on Feast of Poets, 33. Engaged in the busier pursuits.

1837.  Ht. Martineau, Soc. in Amer. II. 338. The busiest … concerns of life.

a. 1875.  Kingsley, Lit. & Gen. Ess., xii. (1880), 353. Here and there a stray gleam of sunlight … awoke into busy life the denizens of the water.

1872.  Yeats, Growth Comm., 143. A busy trade in timber.

  † 8.  Of things: Involving much work or trouble; elaborate, intricate, ‘curious.’ Obs.

1441.  Lett. patent Hen. VI re Eton Coll., in Liber Cantabrig. (1855), 390. Curious works of entayle and busie mouldings.

1536.  J. Husce, in Lisle Papers, XII. 53. It [cushion to be worked] shall be very busy because of diversity of colours.

1542.  Udall, Erasm. Apoph., 230 b. Alexander perceiuyng the [Gordian] knotte to bee ouer buisie to bee vndooen with his handes. Ibid., 51 b. Buisie and sumptuous buildynges.

1577.  trans. Bullinger’s Decades (1592), 332. The manner of consecrating them, is far more large and busie.

1615.  Crooke, Body of Man, 925. The History of the Bones is a busie piece of Worke.

  9.  Of times and places: Full of business, stir or activity.

1697.  Dryden, Virg. Georg., IV. 26. For thy Bees a quiet Station find … And plant … Wild Olive Trees … before the busie Shop.

1814.  Byron, Lara, I. 1. Bright faces in the busy hall.

1832.  Macaulay, Armada, 36. That time of slumber was as bright and busy as the day.

1871.  Morley, Crit. Misc., Ser. I. (1878), 215. The busy world of men.

  10.  That indicates activity or business.

1632.  Milton, L’Allegro, 118. The busy hum of men.

1702.  Rowe, Amb. Step-Moth., I. i. 299. Each busie face we meet.

1716.  Lady M. W. Montague, Lett., I. i. 8. People, with … busy faces.

Mod.  We were surprised at the busy aspect of the village.

  11.  Comb., as busy-brained, -fingered, -headed, -tongued, adjs. (often in unfavorable sense). Also † busy-head = BUSYBODY; busy-idle a., busily employed about trifles (so busy idleness); busy-idler, a person so employed.

1572.  J. Maitland, Agst. Sklanderous Toungs, Gif *bissiebranit bodeis yow bakbyte.

1579.  Tomson, Calvin’s Serm. Tim., 658/2. If wee be more busie brained then we shoulde be.

a. 1577.  Sir T. Smith, Commw. Eng. (1633), 217. For what will not *busie-heads and lovers of trouble … invent?

1603.  J. Davies, Microcosmos, 140 (D.).

1583.  Stubbes, Anat. Abus., II. 60. These *busie heded astronomers, and curious serching astrologers.

1633.  Costlie Whore, IV. ii. in Bullen, O. Plays, IV. A plague upon this busie-headed rabble!

1823.  Lamb, Elia, Ser. I. xx. (1865), 159. These *busy-idle diversions.

1880.  Bertha Thomas, Violin-Player, I. ii. 45. He amused himself in carving wooden figures … and other busy-idle ways.

1822.  T. Mitchell, Aristoph., II. 18. A sort of ennuyé, triste, pitiable *busy-idler.

1878.  Bosw. Smith, Carthage, 255. *Busy-tongued rumour passed from mouth to mouth.