Definitions

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun US, Northern England, Scotland An example; pattern.
  • noun Northern England, Scotland Something monstrous or portentous; a shocking sight; sorry spectacle; disgraceful thing.
  • noun A person presenting a ludicrous or disgusting spectacle.
  • adjective Northern England, Scotland Monstrous; shocking; conspicuously bad or disgraceful.

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English bysen, partly from Old English bȳsen ("example, pattern, model, similitude, parable, parallel, rule, command, precept"), and partly from Old Norse býsn ("a wonder, a portentous thing"), both from Proto-Germanic *būsniz (“command, precept”), from Proto-Germanic *beudanan (“to ask, beg”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰewdʰ- (“to be awake, perceive fully”). Cognate with Gothic 𐌱𐌿𐍃𐌽𐍃 (busns, "command, order"). See also forbisen, forbise.

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Examples

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