different between spry vs busy

English

Etymology

From British dialectal sprey, from Old Norse sprækr (“nimble, lively”) from Proto-Germanic *spr?kiz (“lively”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)pereg- (“to strew, jerk, sprinkle, scatter”). Cognate with Icelandic sprækur (“lively, spry”), Norwegian sprek (“lively, healthy”), dialectal Swedish sprygg (“brisk, very active, skittish”). More at spark. Related to sprack, sprig, sprug, freckle.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sp?a?/
• Rhymes: -a?

Adjective

spry (comparative sprier, superlative spriest)

1. Having great power of leaping or running; nimble; active.
2. Vigorous; lively; cheerful.
   • 1992, Robert Rankin, The Antipope (page 68)

     The Captain folded his brow into a look of intense perplexity. 'You seem exceedingly spry for a man who demolished an entire bottle of brandy and better part of an ounce of shag in a single evening.'
     'And very nice too,' said the tramp. 'Now as to breakfast?'

Translations

Anagrams

• Prys, syrp

English

Etymology

From Middle English bisy, busie, from Old English bysi?, bisi? (“busy, occupied, diligent”), from Proto-West Germanic *bis?g (“diligent; zealous; busy”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian biesich (“active, diligent, hard-working, industrious”), Dutch bezig (“busy”), Low German besig (“busy”), Old Frisian bisgia (“to use”), Old English bisgian (“to occupy, employ, trouble, afflict”). The spelling with ?u? represents the pronunciation of the West Midland and Southern dialects while the Modern English pronunciation with /?/ is from the dialects of the East Midlands.

Pronunciation

• enPR: b?z'i, IPA^(key): /?b?zi/
• Rhymes: -?zi
• Hyphenation: bus?y

Adjective

busy (comparative busier, superlative busiest)

1. Crowded with business or activities; having a great deal going on.
   • 1843 — Charles Dickens. A Christmas Carol.

     Although they had but that moment left the school behind them, they were now in the busy thoroughfares of a city, where shadowy passengers passed and repassed; where shadowy carts and coaches battled for the way, and all the strife and tumult of a real city were.

     They left the busy scene, and went into an obscure part of the town, where Scrooge had never penetrated before, although he recognised its situation, and its bad repute.

2. Engaged in activity or by someone else.
   • 1719 — Daniel Defoe. Robinson Crusoe.

     And the first thing I did was to lay by a certain quantity of provisions, being the stores for our voyage; and intended in a week or a fortnight’s time to open the dock, and launch out our boat. I was busy one morning upon something of this kind, when I called to Friday, and bid him to go to the sea-shore and see if he could find a turtle or a tortoise, a thing which we generally got once a week, for the sake of the eggs as well as the flesh.

     But to return to Friday; he was so busy about his father that I could not find in my heart to take him off for some time; but after I thought he could leave him a little, I called him to me, and he came jumping and laughing, and pleased to the highest extreme: then I asked him if he had given his father any bread.

   • 1813 — Jane Austen. Pride and Prejudice.

     After walking several miles in a leisurely manner, and too busy to know anything about it, they found at last, on examining their watches, that it was time to be at home.

   • 1843 — Charles Dickens. A Christmas Carol.

     His hands were busy with his garments all this time; turning them inside out, putting them on upside down, tearing them, mislaying them, making them parties to every kind of extravagance.
3. Having a lot going on; complicated or intricate.

4. Officious; meddling.
   • 1603, William Shakespeare, The Tragedy of Othello, The Moor of Venice, IV. ii. 130:

     I will be hanged if some eternal villain, / Some busy and insinuating rogue, / Some cogging, cozening slave, to get some office, / Have not devised this slander; I'll be hanged else.

Synonyms

• swamped

Related terms

• busy as a beaver
• busy as a bee
• busybody
• busyness
• busy work

Translations

Verb

busy (third-person singular simple present busies, present participle busying, simple past and past participle busied)

1. (transitive) To make somebody busy or active; to occupy.
   • On my vacation I'll busy myself with gardening.
2. (transitive) To rush somebody. (Can we add an example for this sense?)

Derived terms

• bebusy
• forebusy
• overbusy
• unbusy

Translations

Noun

busy (plural busies)

1. (slang, Britain, Liverpudlian, derogatory) A police officer.

References

Anagrams

• buys

Middle English

Adjective

busy

1. Alternative form of bisy