Fustle

/ˈfʌs.əl/ verb

Definition

To fuss about or bustle around with nervous, hurried activity; to fidget or move restlessly.

Etymology

Possibly from fuss with a diminutive or iterative suffix, or from obsolete fustell. The word suggests repeated small movements and bustling without clear purpose.

Kelly Says

This word mostly survives in dialect or archaic usage, capturing a specific kind of nervous, busybody energy that modern English mostly just calls 'fussing'—our ancestors had more precise words for grades of restless activity.

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