*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of buss

Uncertain. First attested in the 1560s. Possibly from Proto-Indo-European *bʰus- (“lip, to kiss”) via Proto-Germanic *busaną (compare German bussen), but in any case imitative of kissing. Compare Welsh bus (“kiss, lip”)

6 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 6 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1 · variant 1/2

Original entry ↗
noun

A kiss.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Uncertain. First attested in the 1560s. Possibly from Proto-Indo-European *bʰus- (“lip, to kiss”) via Proto-Germanic *busaną (compare German bussen), but in any case imitative of kissing. Compare Welsh bus (“kiss, lip”) and Irish bus (“lips, mouth”) (both may have influenced English), Persian بوس (bus, “kiss”), Latvian buča (“kiss”), Latin basium (“kiss”). Mainstream proposals like in The Free Dictionary have suggested it is a blend of old English dialect words bass (related to French baiser) and cuss (akin to kissen); perhaps compare puss.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Derivation mention*bʰus-ine-pro
  • Cognate mentionbussende
  • Cognate mentionbuscy
  • Cognate mentionbusga
  • Cognate mentionبوسfa · kiss
  • Cognate mentionbučalv · kiss
  • Cognate mentionbasiumla · kiss
  • Cognate mentionbaiserfr
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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    },
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        "1": "fa",
        "2": "بوس",
        "tr": "bus",
        "t": "kiss"
      },
      "expansion": "Persian بوس (bus, “kiss”)"
    },
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      "name": "cog",
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        "2": "buča",
        "t": "kiss"
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    },
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      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "la",
        "2": "basium",
        "t": "kiss"
      },
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    },
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      "name": "cog",
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      "bus",
      "bus#Welsh"
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      "bus",
      "bus#Irish"
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      "بوس",
      "بوس#Persian"
    ],
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Source etymology 1 · variant 2/2

Original entry ↗
verb

To kiss (either literally or figuratively). · To kiss.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Uncertain. First attested in the 1560s. Possibly from Proto-Indo-European *bʰus- (“lip, to kiss”) via Proto-Germanic *busaną (compare German bussen), but in any case imitative of kissing. Compare Welsh bus (“kiss, lip”) and Irish bus (“lips, mouth”) (both may have influenced English), Persian بوس (bus, “kiss”), Latvian buča (“kiss”), Latin basium (“kiss”). Mainstream proposals like in The Free Dictionary have suggested it is a blend of old English dialect words bass (related to French baiser) and cuss (akin to kissen); perhaps compare puss.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Derivation mention*bʰus-ine-pro
  • Cognate mentionbussende
  • Cognate mentionbuscy
  • Cognate mentionbusga
  • Cognate mentionبوسfa · kiss
  • Cognate mentionbučalv · kiss
  • Cognate mentionbasiumla · kiss
  • Cognate mentionbaiserfr
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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      "baiser#French"
    ],
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      "lang_code": "srn",
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          "lang": "Aukan",
          "lang_code": "djk",
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

A herring buss, a type of shallow-keeled Dutch fishing boat used especially for herring fishing.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Borrowed from Dutch buis.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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Source etymology 4

Original entry ↗
noun

Alternative form of bussing (“enjoyable, delicious”)

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Clipping of bussing.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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Source etymology 5

Original entry ↗
noun

A blunderbuss.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Clipping of blunderbuss.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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Source etymology 6

Original entry ↗
verb

To ejaculate; to eject semen or to squirt.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Alternative form of bust (coda-simplification).

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for buss →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
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Import run
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Permanent entry ID
w-YnVzcw