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Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

busk en · VERB · etymology 1

Pronunciation

  • /bʌsk/ (General-American, Received-Pronunciation)
  • /bʊsk/ (Northern-England)
  • (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

Apparently from French busquer or Spanish buscar.

Meanings

  1. (UK, especially, intransitive) To solicit money by entertaining the public in the street or in public transport.
  2. (obsolete, transitive) To sell articles such as obscene books in public houses etc.
    • The frothy orator, who busked his tales In quackish pomp of noisy words 1827, Robert Pollok, The Course of Time:
  3. To tack, cruise about.

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
busked Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part lexicographic
busked Tense=Past lexicographic
busks Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres lexicographic
busking Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part lexicographic

Deriveds

busker · busk it

Translations (13)

it suonare per strada (to solicit money by entertaining the public) · fi esiintyä kadulla (to solicit money by entertaining the public) · cmn 卖艺 (to solicit money by entertaining the public) · sv underhålla på gatan (to solicit money by entertaining the public) · ru играть музыку на улице (to solicit money by entertaining the public) · ga buscáil (to solicit money by entertaining the public) · cy clera (to solicit money by entertaining the public) · la aeruscō (to solicit money by entertaining the public) · es ejecutar callejeramente (to solicit money by entertaining the public) · mi whakangahau pati (to solicit money by entertaining the public) · nrf beustchi (to solicit money by entertaining the public) · es actuar ambulantemente (to solicit money by entertaining the public) · de Straßenmusik machen (to solicit money by entertaining the public)

busk en · NOUN · etymology 2

Pronunciation

  • /bʌsk/ (General-American, Received-Pronunciation)
  • /bʊsk/ (Northern-England)
  • (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

Borrowed from French busc, from Italian busco (“splinter”).

Meanings

  1. A strip of metal, whalebone, wood, or other material, worn in the front of a corset to stiffen it.
    • Could see her in the bedroom from the hearth unclamping the busk of her stays. 1922 February 2, James Joyce, “[Episode 8: Laestrygonians]”, in Ulysses, Paris: Shakespeare and Company […], →OCLC, part II [Odyssey], page 149:
    • Her long slit sleeves, stiffe buske, puffe verdingall, / Is all that makes her thus angelicall. 1598, John Marston, The Scourge of Villanie:
  2. (broadly) A corset.
    • Off with that happy busk, which I envie, / That still can be, and still can stand so nigh. 1661, John Donne, To his Mistress going to Bed:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
busks Number=Plur lexicographic

Deriveds

busked · unbusk

Translations (4)

fr busc (stiffening strip in the front of a corset) · bg банел (stiffening strip in the front of a corset) · ga righneadóir (cóirséid) (stiffening strip in the front of a corset) · fi plansetti (stiffening strip in the front of a corset)

busk en · NOUN · etymology 3

Pronunciation

  • /bʌsk/ (General-American, Received-Pronunciation)
  • /bʊsk/ (Northern-England)
  • (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

Etymology unknown.

Meanings

  1. (obsolete) A kind of linen.
    • Busk, a kind of table linen, occurs first in 1458, and occasionally afterwards. 1882, James Edwin Thorold Rogers, A History of Agriculture and Prices in England, volume 4, page 557:

busk en · VERB · etymology 4

Pronunciation

  • /bʌsk/ (General-American, Received-Pronunciation)
  • /bʊsk/ (Northern-England)
  • (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

From Middle English busken, from Old Norse búask, reflexive of búa (“to prepare”); compare bound for a derivation from búa's past participle and basken for a similar formation from an Old Norse reflexive.

Meanings

  1. (Northern-England, Scotland, transitive) To prepare; to make ready; to array; to dress.
    • The watch stert up and drew their weapons bright / And busk'd them bold to battle and to fight. 1600, [Torquato Tasso], “(please specify |book=1 to 20)”, in Edward Fairefax [i.e., Edward Fairfax], transl., Godfrey of Bulloigne, or The Recouerie of Ierusalem. […], London: […] Ar[nold] Hatfield, for I[saac] Iaggard and M[atthew] Lownes, →OCLC:
    • Busk ye, busk ye, my bonny, bonny bride. c. 1724, William Hamilton, The Braes of Yarrow 2:
  2. (Northern-England, Scotland) To go; to direct one's course.
    • Ye might have busked you to Huntly-banks. c. 1550, John Skelton, Skelton Laureate against the Scottes:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
busked Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part lexicographic
busked Tense=Past lexicographic
busking Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part lexicographic
busks Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres lexicographic

Deriveds

buskle · busking