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bustled - 3 dictionary results

bus⋅tle

1  [buhs-uhl] verb, -tled, -tling, noun
Use bustled in a Sentence
–verb (used without object)
1. to move or act with a great show of energy (often fol. by about): He bustled about cooking breakfast.
2. to abound or teem with something; display an abundance of something; teem (often fol. by with): The office bustled with people and activity.
–verb (used with object)
3. to cause to bustle; hustle.
–noun
4. thriving or energetic activity; stir; ferment.
Origin:
1615–25; ME bustelen to hurry aimlessly along, perh. akin to ON busla to splash about, bustle

Related forms:
bustler, noun
bus⋅tling⋅ly, adverb

Synonyms:
4. ado, flurry, agitation, fuss.

bus⋅tle

2  [buhs-uhl]
–noun
1. fullness around or below the waist of a dress, as added by a peplum, bows, ruffles, etc.
2. a pad, cushion, or framework formerly worn under the back of a woman's skirt to expand, support, and display the full cut and drape of a dress.
Origin:
1780–90; orig. uncert.

Related forms:
bustled, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To bustled
bus·tle 1   (bŭs'əl)   
intr. & tr.v.   bus·tled, bus·tling, bus·tles
To move or cause to move energetically and busily.
n.  Excited and often noisy activity; a stir.

[Possibly variant of obsolete buskle, frequentative of busk, to prepare oneself, from Old Norse būask, reflexive of būa, to prepare; see bheuə- in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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