busk
/bʌsk/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.19 in modern English
10
Scrabble Score
4
Letters
1
Syllables
4
Unique Chars
Meaning
verb
To solicit money by entertaining the public in the street or in public transport.
British usage; Intransitive verb
noun
A strip of metal, whalebone, wood, or other material, worn in the front of a corset to stiffen it.
noun
A corset.
Example Sentences
- "The frothy orator, who busked his tales In quackish pomp of noisy words"
- "Her long slit sleeves, stiffe buske, puffe verdingall, / Is all that makes her thus angelicall."
- "Could see her in the bedroom from the hearth unclamping the busk of her stays."
- "Off with that happy busk, which I envie, / That still can be, and still can stand so nigh."
- "Busk, a kind of table linen, occurs first in 1458, and occasionally afterwards."
- "Busk ye, busk ye, my bonny, bonny bride."
Etymology
Apparently from French busquer or Spanish buscar.
Origin
- Source language: French
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /bʌsk/
- British English: /bʌsk/
Usage
Subject
Wiktionary places this term in People.