Brewer's: Business

Busy Saxon, bysgian, the verb, bysig (busy); Dutch, bezigen; German, besorgniss (care, management); sorge (care); Saxon, seogan (to see). From the German sorgen we get the French soigner (to look after something), soigne, and be-sogne (business, or that which is our care and concern), with be-soin (something looked after but not found, hence “want”); the Italian besognio (a beggar).

Related Content Allusions Foreign Words and Phrases Latin and Greek Word Elements Names: Their Origins and Meanings Old Testament Names Mythology Ancient Greek Literature & Mythology The Bible (King James version) The Koran (translation by J. M. Rodwell) Shakespeare's Plays Tales from Shakespeare (Charles and Mary Lamb) Frequently Misspelled Words Frequently Mispronounced Words Easily Confused Words Writing & Language