[1720–30; amuse + -ive]This word is first recorded in the period 1720–30. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: catchword, cordon bleu, personify, saloon, syllabic-ive is a suffix of adjectives (and nouns of adjectival origin) expressing tendency, disposition,function, connection, etc. Other words that use the affix -ive include: corrective, destructive, detective, passive, sportive