bemuse (2009-08-09)

Part of Speech: verb

Pronunciation: [bi-'myuz]

Definition: To confuse, daze, bewilder; to cause someone to be absorbed in thought.

Usage: The two meanings of this word still overlap: "Karl was bemused by his date's suggestion that they call it an early night." He could be dazed from the realization that she wasn't having a good time, or he could become thoughtful, deciding if it should be his place or hers. Don't forget that "bemused" is the participle of a lively verb: "Madeleine bemused her audience in the middle of her performance with the request that everyone applaud."

Suggested Usage: In the first usage, "bemuse" is synonymous with "benumb," "daze," "stun" and "stupefy." They all share the meaning "to dull by means of a shock." The relation of the second sense to the first relies on the quality of those thoughts one is absorbed in. The important thing to remember is that it does not mean "cause to be amused." The noun is "bemusement," the adverb is "bemusedly," the adjective is "bemused."

Etymology: The root of "bemuse" is muse "to be absorbed in thought" from Old French muser "to waste time, muse" akin to Italian musare "waste time, loiter." The prefix, "be-" is a variant of "by," from Old English be-, bi-, probably from the second syllable of the word that produced Greek amphi "on both sides (amphora), around" and Latin ambi- "both (ambidextrous), around, about." German um "around, about" is a reduction of the same underlying word. "Be-" was used several different ways in Old English, to mean "at" (below, behind, beneath) and as a transitive prefix: stir: bestir "make stir." "Bemuse" apparently originated as "to make hesitate, waste time" similar to "amuse," which originally meant "cause someone to stop and assume a stupid stare."