"tough youth," 1902, first attested in nickname of U.S. outlaw George Cassidy (1866-?), probably an abbreviation of butcher (n.). Sense of "aggressive lesbian" is by 1940s. As an adjective by 1941.
busybody
busyness
busy-work
but
butane
butch
butcher
butcher-knife
butchery
butler
butt