English
buster
Originally a dialectal variant of burster; later influenced by bust + -er.
Formed from bust + -er
Proto-Germanic *brestaną ‘to burst, break, sunder, split, crack’
Proto-West Germanic *brestan ‘to burst, break, sunder, split, crack’
Old English berstan ‘to break, shatter, burst’
Middle English bresten ‘to burst’
Middle English busten
English bust
The story
Originally a dialectal variant of burster; later influenced by bust + -er. The combining form of the term has appeared from the early 20th century but been especially prolific during three periods: in the 1930s, owing to the success of the radio series Gang Busters; in the 1940s, owing to its appearance as military slang; and in the 1980s, owing to the success of the movie Ghostbusters.
Today it means
noun Someone who or something that bursts, breaks, or destroys a specified thing.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / buster