English word amuse comes from Old French (842-ca. 1400) a-, Frankish *mōtōn (To be idle, at leisure, unoccupied.)
| Dictionary entry | Language | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| a- | Old French (842-ca. 1400) (fro) | (by extension) indicating a change of state. Indicating movement towards something. Intensifying prefix. |
| *mōtōn | Frankish (frk) | To be idle, at leisure, unoccupied. |
| *muso | Latin (lat) | (Vulgar Latin) I gape, idly stare. (Vulgar Latin) I idly wait. (Vulgar Latin) I leisurely wander (in one's mind). |
| muser | Old French (842-ca. 1400) (fro) | To loiter; waste time. To ponder; to think about. To stare at in amazement. |
| amuser | Old French (842-ca. 1400) (fro) | |
| amuser | Middle French (ca. 1400-1600) (frm) | |
| amusen | Middle English (1100-1500) (enm) | |
| amuse | English (en) | (transitive) To entertain or occupy in a pleasant manner; to stir with pleasing emotions.. (transitive, archaic) To keep in expectation; to beguile; to delude.. (transitive, archaic) To occupy or engage the attention of; to lose in deep thought; to absorb; also, to distract; to bewilder.. To cause laughter, to be funny. |