Etymology: < amuse v. Compare slightly earlier amusing n., amusement n.

Etymology: Shortened < either amuse-bouche n. or amuse-gueule n.

Etymology: < Middle French, French amuser to lead (a person) on from time to time, so as to keep him or her in expectation of something (late 12th cent. in Old French), to beguile, delude (a person), (also in extended use) to puzzle, confuse (a person) (first half of the 14th cent.), to distract (oneself) from serious matters by indulging in pleasurable pastimes, to waste time on trifles (late 14th cent., used reflexively), to provide interesting and enjoyable entertainment for (a person) as a distraction from more serious matters (first half of the 15th cent.), to distract and divert (an enemy) from one's real aim, strategy, or intent (a1464), to be engaged or occupied with (an activity, originally with implication of time-wasting) (1516 in amuser à quelque chose , used reflexively), to tarry in a place, to fritter time away (1530 in Palsgrave, used reflexively), to occupy the attention of (a person) (1580 or earlier), to divert or engage (a person) with some occupation, pleasure, or pastime (1606, originally with reference to entertaining children) < a- a- prefix⁵ + muser muse v.Compare Dutch amuseren (second half of the 17th cent.), German amüsieren (first half of the 17th cent. as †amousiren , †emussiren ), both < French. Specific senses. In the specific use in gardening (see quot. 1693 at sense 3b) after French amuser la sève (1692 in the passage translated). The intransitive use in sense 4a is not paralleled in French. It probably shows a semantic development within English by association with muse v.; with the uses in quots. 1532 and 1795 perhaps compare a- prefix¹.