Businesse

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An archaic spelling for affairs or matters that need attending to ; the buying, selling, and trading of goods carried on as a commercial undertaking
2. Older form of a word meaning a task, concern, or responsibility ; the activity of commercial dealings and trade conducted for profit
3. A former spelling referring to a matter needing action or attention ; the commercial work of producing, buying, or selling goods and services

Etymology: Old English had "bisiġnes," built from "bisig" (busy) and the suffix "-nes," the same pattern that gives us "busyness." For centuries the two words ran side by side as doublets, and "business" was the form that pulled ahead, now meaning the work a person occupies themselves with rather than the mere state of being occupied. The spelling in your word, "businesse," is simply an older form of that same noun. Middle English writers spelled it in many ways, including "busines," "busynes," and "bisynes," and the final "-e" you see here was once a common ending in that period, before English spelling settled. Among the older senses, one stands out. Sense 17, meaning something of very high quality, may come from the slang phrase "the bee's knees," which is an American expression, though the link is only possible and not certain.