- bustle (1)
- "be active," mid-14c., frequentative of M.E. bresten "to rush, break," from O.E. bersten (see burst), influenced by O.N. buask "to make oneself ready" (see busk (v.)), or directly from busk as a frequentative form. The noun is first attested 1620s. Bustling, of a place, is first recorded 1880.
- bustle (2)
- "padding in a skirt," 1788, perhaps from Ger. Buschel "bunch, pad," or may be a special use of bustle (1) with ref. to "rustling motion."