amuse

English

/əˈmjuːz/

verb
Definitions
  • (transitive) To entertain or occupy in a pleasant manner; to stir with pleasing emotions.
  • To cause laughter or amusement; to be funny.
  • (transitive) To keep in expectation; to beguile; to delude.
  • (transitive) To occupy or engage the attention of; to lose in deep thought; to absorb; also, to distract; to bewilder.

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English *amusen (gaze meditatively on, be astonished, mutter) derived from Old French amuser (stupefy, waste time, be lost in thought), *mus (snout) derived from Latin *mūsa derived from Proto-Germanic *mū- (snout, muzzle) derived from Proto-Indo-European *mū- (midge, fly, lips, muzzle).

Origin

Proto-Indo-European

*mū-

Gloss

midge, fly, lips, muzzle

Concept
Semantic Field

Animals

Ontological Category

Action/Process

Kanji

唇

Emoji
✈️ 🐉 🐦️ 🐲 💸 🕊️ 🚁 🛩️ 🛫 🛬 🦅 🦆 🪁 👨‍✈️ 👩‍✈️ 🚁

Timeline

Distribution of cognates by language

Geogrpahic distribution of cognates

Cognates and derived terms