bus

See also: Appendix:Variations of "bus"

English

A bus (motor vehicle).

Etymology

Clipping of omnibus. Formerly often spelt 'bus. The electrical sense is derived from figurative application of the automotive sense.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bʌs/, enPR: bŭs
  • (Northern England, Ireland) IPA^(key): /bʊs/
  • (General Australian, New Zealand, Scotland, Mid-Atlantic, Philippines) IPA^(key): /bɐs/
  • (Northern Cities Vowel Shift, Ireland) IPA^(key): /bɔs/
  • (Birmingham, Black Country) IPA^(key): /bʊz/

• Audio (UK):

  (file)

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Homophones: Buss, buss
• Rhymes: -ʌs

Noun

bus (plural buses or busses)

1. (automotive) A motor vehicle for transporting large numbers of people along roads.
   1. (chiefly US, Canada) A coach, a bus used for long travels.
2. An electrical conductor or interface serving as a common connection for two or more circuits or components.
3. Part of a MIRV missile, having on-board motors used to deliver the warhead to a target.
4. (medical industry, slang) An ambulance.
5. (military slang, 1910s–1940s) An aeroplane.
6. (networking) A network topology with each computer connected to a single cable.

Synonyms

• (electrical conductor): electrical bus, busbar, digit trunk
• (vehicle): autobus, coach, loser cruiser, motorbus, motorcoach, omnibus, Shillibeer (obsolete)

Hyponyms

• booze bus
• computer bus
• short bus

 

Derived terms

• address bus
• Airbus
• airbus
• and then everyone on the bus clapped
• articulated bus
• baht bus
• banana bus
• bangbus
• battle bus
• battlebus
• bendy bus
• bookbus
• Boris bus
• busable
• busbar
• bus bar
• bus boy
• bus bridge
• bus buddy
• bus bulb
• bus captain
• bus conductor
• bus conductress
• bus driver
• bus duct
• bus factor
• bus fare
• busful
• busgirl
• bus girl
• bus-holder
• busjacking
• bus-keeper
• bus lane
• busless
• buslike
• busload
• busman
• bus mastering
• busmate
• bus mile
• bus ministry
• bus pass
• bus plunge
• bus rapid transit
• bus replacement service
• bus route
• bus shelter
• bussick
• bus stand
• bus station
• bus stop
• bus stop chicane
• bus-stop flight
• bussy
• bustaurant
• bustitute
• bustitution
• bus topology
• bus trap
• busway
• catch the bus
• cheese bus
• chicken bus
• citybus
• city bus
• commuter bus
• control bus
• corporation bus
• data bus
• double-decker bus
• drive the porcelain bus
• e-bus
• electric bus
• enterprise service bus
• face like the back end of a bus
• frontside bus
• front-side bus
• gyrobus
• helibus
• horse bus
• how do I get to the bus station
• kneeling bus
• like the back end of a bus
• metrobus
• microbus
• minibus
• miss the bus
• multibus (adj)
• national school bus chrome
• on the other bus
• open-top bus
• owl bus
• park the beef bus in tuna town
• park the bus
• party bus
• pedibus
• playbus
• porcelain bus
• public utility bus
• railbus
• ride the short bus
• satellite bus
• school bus
• school bus yellow
• shuttle bus
• sleeper bus
• spacecraft bus
• splitter bus
• stage bus
• straddling bus
• struggle bus
• superbus
• system bus
• taxibus
• telebus
• the wheels came off the bus
• the wheels fell off the bus
• throw under a bus
• throw under the bus
• tour bus
• transit bus
• trolleybus
• trolley bus
• walking bus
• walking school bus
• waterbus
• water bus
• where does this bus go

 

Descendants

Descendants

• → Arabic: بَاص (bāṣ)
• ⇒ Burmese: ဘတ်စ်ကား (bhatcka:)
• → Cantonese: 巴士
  • → Mandarin: 巴士 (bāshì)
• → German: Bus m
• → Hindi: बस (bas)
• → Irish: bus
• → Japanese: バス (basu)
  • → Hakka: 巴士 (pa-sṳ́)
  • → Hokkien: 巴士 (bá-suh)
  • → Kavalan: basu
  • → Sakizaya: basu
• → Korean: 버스 (beoseu)
• → Kurtöp: བས (bas)
• → Malay: bas
• → Pashto: بس
• ⇒ Sanskrit: बसयान (basayāna)
• → Scottish Gaelic: bus
• → Thai: บัส (bát)
• → Tibetan: འབའ་སེ ('ba' se)
• → Urdu: بس
• → Welsh: bws

Translations

See bus/translations § Noun.

Verb

bus (third-person singular simple present busses or buses, present participle bussing or busing, simple past and past participle bussed or bused)

1. (transitive, automotive, transport) To transport via a motor bus.
   • 2024 March 13, Halya Coynash, “Russians with machine guns ensure occupied Ukraine ‘votes’ for Putin”, in Human Rights in Ukraine. The Information Portal of the Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group‎^[2]:

     Machine guns are the most effective form of ‘election campaigning’, but the occupiers appear to also be bussing in ‘voters’ from the Russian Federation, and ‘registering total strangers in the homes of people forced to flee after the Russian invasion.

   • 2024 March 14, Clive Ndou, “ANC set to open case against ‘ghost IFP voters’”, in The Witness‎^[3]:

     The ANC has accused the IFP of bussing in voters from other wards to vote during the recent Newcastle Municipality by-election won by the IFP.

2. (transitive, automotive, transport, chiefly US) To transport students to school, often to a more distant school for the purposes of achieving racial integration.
   • 1966, Phil Ochs, “Love Me, I'm a Liberal”, in Phils Ochs in Concert:

     But if you ask me to bus my children / I hope the cops take down your name

   • 2008, Ashley R. Holm, Racial Differences in Student Engagement and Attainment: A Study of Topeka High School, 1939--1984, ProQuest, →ISBN, page 23:

     ...to strike down Detroit's federal court order to bus students across school district lines for the purpose of desegregation and therefore nullify many busing programs throughout the country.

3. (intransitive, automotive, transport) To travel by bus.
4. (transitive, US, food service) To clear meal remains from.

   He bussed tables as the restaurant emptied out.

   • 2019, Colson Whitehead, The Nickel Boys, Fleet, page 13:

     He was hired to bus tables, but after a few incidents they moved him to the kitchen.

5. (intransitive, US, food service) To work at clearing the remains of meals from tables or counters; to work as a busboy.

   He’s been bussing for minimum wage.

Usage notes

The Canadian Oxford Dictionary only presents the spellings buses, busing, and bused, implying that these are the predominant forms in Canada.

Derived terms

• (clear meal remains): busboy

Translations

See bus/translations § Verb.

Anagrams

• SBU, UBS, USB, sub, sub-, sub.

Afar

Etymology

Akin to Saho bus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbus/ [ˈbʊs]
• Hyphenation: bus

Noun

bús m (plural buswá f or busuusá f)

1. vagina

Declension

Declension of bús
absolutive	bús
predicative	búsu
subjective	bús
genitive	bustí
Postpositioned forms l-case búsul k-case búsuk t-case búsut h-case búsuh

References

• E. M. Parker, R. J. Hayward (1985) “bus”, in An Afar-English-French dictionary (with Grammatical Notes in English), University of London, →ISBN

Afrikaans

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbœs/

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

bus (plural busse, diminutive bussie)

1. (automotive) bus

Catalan

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic, Valencia) [ˈbus]
• Homophone: vos (Central)

Etymology 1

Cognate to Spanish buso (“underwater snail”) and Portuguese búzio (“underwater snail”), from Latin būcina (“horn”).

Noun

bus m or f by sense (plural bussos)

1. diver

Derived terms

• bussejar

Etymology 2

Probably from Old Norse buza (“big wide ship”).

Noun

bus m (plural bussos)

1. (archaic) a large sailing ship used in the 12th and 13th centuries, broad of beam and with two or three masts

Etymology 3

Probably from Persian بوس (bus, “kiss”).

Noun

bus m (plural busos)

1. (archaic) flattery

Usage notes

• Only found in the phrase fer lo bus (“to kiss up”).

Etymology 4

Clipping of autobús.

Noun

bus m (plural busos)

1. bus (vehicle)

Etymology 5

Borrowed from English bus.

Noun

bus m (plural busos)

1. bus (electrical connector)

Further reading

• “bus” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.

Cimbrian

Etymology

From Italian bus, a clipping of omnibus, from French omnibus.

Noun

bus m

1. (Luserna) bus (vehicle)

   Benn rifta dar bus? ― What time does the bus come?

References

• Patuzzi, Umberto, ed., (2013) Luserna / Lusérn: Le nostre parole / Ünsarne börtar / Unsere Wörter [Our Words], Luserna, Italy: Comitato unitario delle isole linguistiche storiche germaniche in Italia / Einheitskomitee der historischen deutschen Sprachinseln in Italien

Czech

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈbus]

Noun

bus m inan

1. bus (motor vehicle for transporting large numbers of people along roads)

   Synonym: autobus

Declension

Declension of bus (hard masculine inanimate)

	singular	plural
nominative	bus	busy
genitive	busu	busů
dative	busu	busům
accusative	bus	busy
vocative	buse	busy
locative	buse, busu	busech
instrumental	busem	busy

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈbas]

Noun

bus m inan

1. (computing) bus (an electrical interface connecting two or more components)

Declension

Declension of bus (hard masculine inanimate)

	singular	plural
nominative	bus	busy
genitive	busu	busů
dative	busu	busům
accusative	bus	busy
vocative	buse	busy
locative	busu	busech
instrumental	busem	busy

Danish

Etymology

Shortening of omnibus, from French omnibus, from Latin omnibus (“for all”), dative plural of omnis (“all”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bus/, [b̥us]

Noun

bus c (singular definite bussen, plural indefinite busser)

1. bus, coach

Inflection

Declension of bus

common gender	Singular		Plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	bus	bussen	busser	busserne
genitive	bus’	bussens	bussers	bussernes

Dutch

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bʏs/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: bus
• Rhymes: -ʏs
• Homophone: Bus

Etymology 1

Shortening of omnibus, from Latin omnibus (“for everything/all”); dative plural of omnis (“all”).

Noun

bus m (plural bussen, diminutive busje n)

1. (transport) bus, omnibus (vehicle)
2. (transport, in diminutive) minibus, minivan
3. bus (electrical conductor)

Derived terms

• autobus
• bestelbus
• bibliobus
• busbaan
• buschauffeur
• busconducteur
• bushalte
• buslijn
• busreis
• busrit
• busverbinding
• busverkeer
• buurtbus
• hippiebus
• kippenbus
• lijnbus
• minibus
• schoolbus
• snelbus
• stadsbus
• streekbus
• toerbus

 

Descendants

• → Caribbean Javanese: bis
• → Papiamentu: bùs
• → Sranan Tongo: bùs
  • → Aukan: besi
  • → Saramaccan: bési

Etymology 2

From Middle Dutch busse, from Old Dutch *bussa, from Proto-West Germanic *buhsā. Doublet of buks (“shotgun”), box, and pyxis.

Noun

bus f (plural bussen, diminutive busje n)

1. a container, a box, a tin
2. a bushing
3. (chiefly historical) one of a variety of early modern firearms, such as flintlock and matchlock guns
4. (dated, Netherlands) a voluntary sick fund, especially before the introduction of universal health care in the Netherlands in the 1940s

Derived terms

• beschuitbus
• brievenbus
• broodbus
• busdokter
• busgeschut
• buskruit
• busmeester
• collectebus
• donderbus
• drinkbus
• geldbus
• haakbus
• koffiebus
• melkbus
• postbus
• schoolbus
• schrootbus
• stembus
• suikerbus
• ziekenbus

 

Descendants

• Petjo: bus
• → Indonesian: bis (“letterbox, mailbox”)

Etymology 3

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form. Related to etymology 2.

Verb

bus

1. inflection of bussen:
   1. first-person singular present indicative
   2. (in case of inversion) second-person singular present indicative
   3. imperative

French

Etymology 1

Clipping of omnibus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bys/
• Homophones: busse, busses, bussent

Noun

bus m or f (plural bus)

1. bus

   Synonym: autobus

Derived terms

• arrêt de bus
• bus accordéon
• bus scolaire
• service rapide par bus

Etymology 2

Inflected forms.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /by/
• Homophones: bu, bue, bues, but, bût

Verb

bus

1. first/second-person singular past historic of boire

Participle

bus m pl

1. masculine plural of bu

Further reading

• “bus”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Indonesian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bʊs/
• IPA^(key): (alternative pronunciations, especially for the word of etymology 1) /bɪs/, /bəs/, /bas/, /bɘs/
• Rhymes: -bʊs
• Hyphenation: bus

Etymology 1

Sebuah bus yang berwarna biru kuning.

borrowed from Dutch bus, shortening of omnibus, from Latin omnibus (“for everything/all”); dative plural of omnis (“all”).

Alternative forms

• bis (nonstandard)

Noun

bus

1. bus (a motor vehicle for transporting large numbers of people along roads)

Derived terms

• bus akap
• bus akdp
• bus antarkota
• bus cepat
• bus dua tingkat
• bus karyawan
• bus kota
• bus malam
• bus pasar
• bus patas
• bus pegawai
• bus sekolah
• bus tidur
• bus tingkat
• bus trans
• bus wisata

 

Etymology 2

Onomatopoeic, related to embus.

Noun

bus

1. imitation sound of blowing wind; can be roughly translated as whoosh

Further reading

• “bus” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016.

Irish

Etymology

Borrowed from English bus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bˠʊsˠ/
• (Aran) IPA^(key): /bˠɞsˠ/

Noun

bus m (genitive singular bus, nominative plural busanna)

1. bus
2. (computing) bus

Declension

Declension of bus (fourth declension)

bare forms case singular plural nominative bus busanna vocative a bhus a bhusanna genitive bus busanna dative bus busanna forms with the definite article case singular plural nominative an bus na busanna genitive an bhus na mbusanna dative leis an mbus don bhus leis na busanna

Derived terms

• bus altach (“bendy bus”)
• bus dhá stór (“double decker bus”)
• bus dhá urlár (“double decker bus”)
• bus scoile (“school bus”)
• bus tralaí (“trolleybus”)
• busáras (“bus station”)
• buslána (“bus lane”)
• lána bus (“bus lane”)
• líne busanna (“bus line”)
• pas bus (“bus pass”)
• scáthlán bus (“bus shelter”)
• stad bus (“bus-stop”)
• stiúrthóir bus (“bus conductor”)
• tairseach bus (“platform of bus”)
• tiománaí bus (“bus-driver”)

 

Mutation

Mutated forms of bus

radical	lenition	eclipsis
bus	bhus	mbus

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Modern Irish.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

Further reading

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “bus”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• “bus”, in New English-Irish Dictionary, Foras na Gaeilge, 2013–2024
• de Bhaldraithe, Tomás (1959) “bus”, in English-Irish Dictionary, An Gúm

Kankanaey

Pronunciation

• (Standard Kankanaey) IPA^(key): /ˈbus/ [ˈbos]
  • IPA^(key): (parts of Bauko, Sabangan, & Tadian) /ˈbuh/ [ˈboh]
• Rhymes: -us, (parts of Bauko, Sabangan, & Tadian) -uh
• Syllabification: bus

Noun

bus

1. the abundance/plentifulness of water (in wells, rivers, etc.)

Derived terms

• manbus

 

References

• Morice Vanoverbergh (1933) “bus”, in A Dictionary of Lepanto Igorot or Kankanay. As it is spoken at Bauco (Linguistische Anthropos-Bibliothek; XII)‎^[4], Mödling bei Wien, St. Gabriel, Österreich: Verlag der Internationalen Zeitschrift „Anthropos“, →OCLC, page 104

Lithuanian

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [bʊs]

Verb

bùs

1. third-person singular future of būti
2. third-person plural future of būti
3. third-person singular future of busti
4. third-person plural future of busti

Lombard

Etymology

Akin to Italian buca, ultimately from Latin bucca, whence French French bouche.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /byːs/

Noun

bus

1. hole

Maltese

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /buːs/

Verb

bus

1. second-person singular imperative of bies

Middle Irish

Etymology

From Proto-Celtic *bussus, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰew- (“to swell, bulge”).

Noun

bus (gender unknown)

1. (rare, poetic) lip

Descendants

• Irish: pus
• Scottish Gaelic: bus

Further reading

• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “4 bus”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• Matasović, Ranko (2009) “*bussu-”, in Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 9), Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, page 84

Norman

Verb

bus

1. first-person singular preterite of baithe

Polish

bus

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbus/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -us
• Syllabification: bus

Etymology 1

Clipping of autobus. Calque of English bus.

Noun

bus m animal or m inan (diminutive busik)

1. (colloquial) bus (motor vehicle for transporting large numbers of people along roads)

Declension

Declension of bus

	singular	plural
nominative	bus	busy
genitive	busa/busu	busów
dative	busowi	busom
accusative	busa/bus	busy
instrumental	busem	busami
locative	busie	busach
vocative	busie	busy

Derived terms

nouns

• aerobus
• barobus
• bibliobus
• mikrobus
• szynobus

 

Etymology 2

Clipping of mikrobus.

Noun

bus m animal or m inan (diminutive busik)

1. (colloquial) van (motor vehicle used to carry goods or, usually, up to 10 people)

Declension

Declension of bus

	singular	plural
nominative	bus	busy
genitive	busa/busu	busów
dative	busowi	busom
accusative	busa/bus	busy
instrumental	busem	busami
locative	busie	busach
vocative	busie	busy

Further reading

• bus in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• bus in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Romagnol

FWOTD – 6 April 2014

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bus/

Noun

bus m

1. hole
   • September 2012, Daniela Cortesi, Bônanòta in la Ludla, il Papiro, page 15:

     un sorg e’ cor in priscia int e’ su bus.

     a mouse runs hastily towards its hole.

Scottish Gaelic

Etymology 1

From Middle Irish bus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /b̥us̪/

Noun

bus m (genitive singular buis, plural buis or busan)

1. mouth

   Synonym: beul

2. pout (facial expression)

Derived terms

• busach (“pouty; sullen”)

Etymology 2

Borrowed from English bus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /b̥əs̪/

Noun

bus m (genitive singular bus, plural busaichean)

1. bus

Mutation

Mutation of bus

radical	lenition
bus	bhus

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Scottish Gaelic.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

Somali

Noun

bus ?

1. dust

Spanish

Etymology

Shortening of autobús (in Spain) or borrowed from English bus (in Latin America).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbus/ [ˈbus]
• Rhymes: -us
• Syllabification: bus

Noun

bus m (plural buses)

1. Clipping of autobús; bus

   Synonyms: autobús; see also Thesaurus:autobús

Usage notes

• In Spain, bus is a colloquial word and in Latin America it is a formal word.

Derived terms

• bus de cortesía
• bus oruga
• busero

 

Related terms

• ómnibus
• trolebús

 

Further reading

• “bus”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10

Swedish

Etymology

From the verb busa (“make mischief, prank”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bʉːs/, [bʉ͍ːs]
• Rhymes: -ʉːs

Noun

bus n (uncountable)

1. (fairly innocent) mischief (by children), pranking

   bus eller godis

   trick or treat ("mischief or candy")

2. (colloquial, chiefly in the definite "buset") criminals (on the lower rungs of the social ladder)

   att ta fast buset

   to catch the criminals

Usage notes

Associated with mischief and pranks by children, with ironic extensions to adults fooling around and criminality.

Declension

Declension of bus

		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	bus	bus
	definite	buset	busets
plural	indefinite	—	—
	definite	—	—

Derived terms

• busig
• buslur
• busunge
• busvissla
• NetBus

Related terms

• busa (“make mischief, prank”)

References

• bus in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• bus in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• bus in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)

Anagrams

• sub

Tagalog

Etymology

Borrowed from English bus, clipping of omnibus, from French omnibus, from Latin omnibus (“to/for all”).

Pronunciation

• (common) IPA^(key): /ˈbus/ [ˈbus]
  • Rhymes: -us
  • Syllabification: bus
• (Taglish) IPA^(key): /ˈbas/ [ˈbas]
  • Rhymes: -as

Noun

bus (Baybayin spelling ᜊᜓᜐ᜔ or ᜊᜐ᜔)

1. bus (vehicle)

   Synonym: awtobus

2. bus (electrical conductor)

Usage notes

• The pronunciation /bas/ is commonly used in Taglish speech, especially by younger speakers.

Derived terms

• ibus
• magbus
• pambus

 

See also

• kamyon
• kotse
• sasakyan
• trak

 

References

• “bus”, in Pambansang Diksiyonaryo | Diksiyonaryo.ph, Manila, 2018

Tok Pisin

Etymology

From English bush.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bus/

Noun

bus

1. bush (remote rural areas)
   • 1989, Buk Baibel long Tok Pisin, Port Moresby: Bible Society of Papua New Guinea, Jenesis 1:25:

     God i kamapim ol kain kain animal bilong ples na ol bikpela na liklik animal bilong bus. God i lukim olgeta dispela samting i gutpela, na em i amamas.

     →New International Version translation

Derived terms

• bus kanaka

West Flemish

Etymology 1

From Middle Dutch busch, variant of bosch, from Old Dutch *busc, from Proto-Germanic *buskaz.

Noun

bus n

1. forest

Etymology 2

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium. Particularly: “Same as Dutch "bus", but is it derived from that or shortened from "omnibus" independently?”)

Noun

bus m

1. bus