I. noun
( -es )
Etymology: origin unknown
obsolete : fussock
II. ˈfəs noun
( -es )
Etymology: perhaps of imitative origin
1.
a. : needless bustle or excitement : commotion
he found a point of vantage and settled himself with all the fuss of an audience in a theater — Audrey Barker
b. : effusive praise : to-do
stand by this old man and make a big fuss over his ability to cook beans — L.C.Douglas
2.
a. : a state of agitation especially over a trivial matter
in a fuss and a stew all afternoon — Molly L. Bar-David
b. : complaint , objection , protest
no fuss was made in his day if a new writer took from an old one whatever material he found congenial — C.E.Montague
c. : an angry dispute : quarrel
as a dying phase of the fuss they are raising a controversy over certain words and phrases — B.J.Hendrick
3. : an ornamental flourish : decoration
printed in Caslon without fuss — Times Literary Supplement
Synonyms: see stir
III. verb
( -ed/-ing/-es )
intransitive verb
1.
a. : to create or be in a state of restless activity : bustle
a fleet of small tugs … fussed up and down continually — Leslie Richardson
specifically : to shower flattering attentions — usually used with over
the children kissed me and patted me and fussed over me — Polly Adler
b. : to pay undue attention to small details : putter
fuss with his clothes — J.B.Benefield
2. slang : to court a girl : date
have the best time in college: dramatics and basketball and fussing and dancing — Sinclair Lewis
3.
a. : to become upset : fret , worry
I know I'm an idiot to fuss but they're two hours late — David Walker
b.
(1) : nag , complain : argue , protest
tears and fussing are hard for a parent to take but some release is better for a child than attempts at Spartan bravery — Dorothy Barclay
(2) dialect : scold , chide — usually used with at
I don't like to be fussed at in public — Eudora Welty
transitive verb
1. : to stir up : annoy , agitate , upset
she fussed one; she was always in a state of emotion — Virginia Woolf
2. slang : court , date