1832, "public street carriage," originally a colloquial abbreviation of omnibus (q.v.). The modern English noun is nothing but a Latin dative plural ending. To miss the bus, in the figurative sense of "lose an opportunity," is from 1901, Australian English (OED has a figurative miss the omnibus from 1886). Busman's holiday "leisure time spent participating in what one does for a living" (1893) probably is a reference to London omnibus drivers riding the buses on their days off.

Sometimes a new play opens, and we have a wild yearning to see it. So we ask for a holiday, and spend the holiday seeing the other show. You know the London omnibus driver, when he takes a holiday, enjoys it by riding around on another omnibus. So we call it a 'busman's holiday' when we recuperate at another theater! [English actress Lily Elise in "The Girl Who Made Good," Cosmopolitan, December 1911]

1838, "to travel by omnibus," from bus (n.). The transitive meaning "transport students to integrate schools" is from 1961, American English. The meaning "clear tables in a restaurant" is by 1892, probably from the use of the noun in reference to four-wheeled carts used to carry dishes. Related: Bused; busing.

1888, "traveling by omnibus," verbal noun from bus (v.)). From 1965 as "forced integration of schools by transporting children to different areas."

also bus-boy, "employee at a restaurant who clears tables after meals," 1913, from bus (v.) in the restaurant sense + boy.

"a kiss," 1560s; probably of imitative origin, as are Welsh and Gaelic bus "kiss, lip," French baiser "kiss" (12c., from Latin basiare), Spanish buz, German dialectal Buss, Turkish bus, Persian busa, Hindi bosa.

initialism (acronym) for universal serial bus, by 1994.

British for "open-sided sightseeing bus," 1811, originally in a Continental context (especially Swiss), from French char-à-bancs, literally "benched carriage," from char "wagon" (from Latin carrus "two-wheeled wagon;" see car) + à "to" (see ad-) + banc "bench" (see bench (n.)).

also straphanger "rider on a street-car, elevated-train, bus, or subway," 1901, from strap (n.) + hanger. In reference to the hanging straps built in to cars and meant to be grasped for balance by those without seats.

type of steak, 1916, so called from the T-shaped bone that runs through it. The verb meaning "to strike (another car, bus, etc.) from the side" is by 1970, from adjectival use in reference to crashes, attested from 1952, from the position of the two vehicles at impact.

"short, large-bore gun or firearm with a funnel-shaped muzzle," 1650s, from Dutch donderbus, from donder "thunder" (Middle Dutch doner, donder, from Proto-Germanic *thunaraz; see thunder (n.)) + bus "gun" (originally "box, tube"); altered by resemblance to blunder. Related: Blunderbussier.