Busy v.

Forms: 1 bysʓian, bisʓian, bysiʓan, 4 besien, bisien, bisie, bysi, bisy, 4–6 besy, 5 besye, 5–6 busye, 5–7 busie, 6 bussy, bysye, 5– busy. [OE. bisʓian, bysʓian, f. bisiʓ BUSY a.]

  1.  trans. To employ with constant attention; to engage or occupy assiduously; to keep busy (persons, employments, or objects of attention).

a. 1000.  Proem to Ælfred’s Boeth. For þæm … maniʓfealdum weoruldbisʓum þe hine … bisʓodan.

1530.  Palsgr., 451/2. I besy, I set aworke or I put in busynesse. Ibid., 455/2. I bysye my body.

1587.  Golding, De Mornay, i. 7. Thou … busiest all thy wits about it.

a. 1698.  Temple, Ess. Poetry, Wks. 1731, I. 241. Before the Discourses … of Philosophers began to busy … the Grecian Wits.

1724.  Swift, Drapier’s Lett., Wks. 1755, V. II. 95. To busy my head and my hands to the loss of my time.

1871.  R. Ellis, Catullus, xl. 5. Wouldst thou busy the breath of half the people?

  b.  refl. (The most usual construction.) Const. inf. (obs.), with, in, about.

c. 1000.  O. E. Hom. (Thorpe), II. 406 (Bosw.). Se man biþ heriʓendlic, ðe mid godum weorcum hine sylfne bysʓaþ.

c. 1340.  Cursor M., 23048 (Trin.). Þei … bisieden hem to pleisen hym.

c. 1400.  Destr. Troy, 9306. Achilles … to bryng hit aboute besit hym sore.

1530.  Palsgr., 895. My self … whiche … have besyed me … to teche … many … princes and princesses.

1655.  Fuller, Ch. Hist., II. ii. § 97. He busied himself in Toyes and Trifles.

1736.  Butler, Anal., II. vii. 353. To how little purpose those persons busy themselves.

1851.  Helps, Comp. Solit., iii. (1874), 46. He busied himself about many worldly things.

1856.  Kane, Arct. Expl., II. ii. 33. Petersen began … to busy himself with his wardrobe.

1876.  Green, Short Hist., ii. § 5 (1882), 79. The King … busied himself in the erection of numerous castles.

1878.  Browning, La Saisiaz, 64. Busy thee for ill or good.

  c.  in passive. Const. as in b.

c. 1000.  Colloq. Monast. (Thorpe), 18 (Bosw.). Ic eom bysʓod on sange.

1526.  Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W., 1531), 58. Be thou neuer more than nedeth … busyed or troubled in the defautes or offences of other.

1623.  Bingham, Xenophon, 85. That the enemie might be busied on all sides.

1758.  Johnson, Idler, No. 4, ¶ 7. Every tongue is busied in solicitation.

1868.  E. Edwards, Ralegh, I. xviii. 361. Ralegh was busied … with his official duties.

  d.  trans. To occupy (time) fully. rare.

1629.  Ford, Lover’s Mel., I. i. (1811), 125. Him … whose study Had busied many hours.

1802.  W. Taylor, in Robberds, Mem., I. 431. Two elections … which busied time and idea.

  † 2.  To trouble the body (only in OE.) or mind; to afflict, worry, disturb, perplex. Obs.

a. 1000.  Metr. Boeth., xxii. 30 (Gr.). Þæs lichoman leahtras and hefiʓnes … oft bysiʓen monna modsefan.

c. 1000.  Whale (Gr.), 51. Hine hungor bysʓaþ.

c. 1000.  Sax. Leechd., I. 82. Gif se lichoma hwær mid hefiʓlicre hæto sy gebysʓod.

c. 1325.  E. E. Allit. P., A. 268. & busyez þe aboute a raysoun bref.

c. 1380.  Wyclif, Serm., v. Sel. Wks. I. 13. It is no nede to, bisie us what hiȝt Tobies hound.

1591.  Troub. Raigne K. John (1611), 61. That were to busie men with doubts.

  † b.  To disturb, agitate (a material object). Obs.

c. 1374.  Chaucer, Boeth. (1868), 8. The causes whennes þe sounyng wyndes … bisien þe smoþe water of the see.

  3.  intr. (? for refl.). To be busy, occupy oneself, take trouble (now rare).

c. 1340.  Gaw. & Gr. Knt., 1066. Naf I now to busy, bot bare þre dayez.

1382.  Wyclif, Luke x. 40. Martha bisyede aboute moche seruyce.

c. 1450.  Merlin, xiii. (1877), 201. Oon part bisied for the rescew.

1573.  G. Harvey, Letter-bk. (1884), 132. Chaos, whereon I bussid over longe.

1582.  Batman, Barth. De P. R., 201 b/2. Euery part [of the earth] … busieth with his owne weight to come to the middle of y^e earth.

1878.  Besant & Rice, Celia’s Arb., III. xiv. 218. She … fell to busying about my pillows.