bust

UK: bʌst | US: bʌst

Definition

  1. n. 1. a sculpture of a person's head, shoulders, and chest

  2. n. 2. a woman's breasts

  3. n. 3. a failure or collapse (informal)

  4. vt. 1. to break or smash something

  5. vt. 2. to arrest someone (slang)

Structure

No data yet.

Etymology

The word "bust" has a dual origin:

  1. For the sculptural sense: Borrowed from Italian "busto" (sculpture of upper body), likely derived from Latin "bustum" (funeral monument).
  2. For the slang/colloquial senses (failure, arrest): Likely evolved from the verb meaning "to burst/break," influenced by Germanic roots. The informal usage emerged in 19th-century American English.
Examples

  1. The museum displayed a marble bust of Julius Caesar.

  2. She adjusted her dress to better fit her bust.

  3. The startup went bust after just six months.

  4. He accidentally bust the window while playing baseball.

  5. The police busted the drug ring at dawn.