bemuse
verbUK, US /bɪˈmjuːz/
Etymology From be- + muse. In meaning, influenced by bemaze and later amuse.
1
To confuse or bewilder.
- [With] fairy tales bemused the shepherd lies.1771, James Foot, Penseroso:
- the bad metaphysics with which they bemuse themselves1847, Hugh Miller, First Impressions of England and its people:
1 more example
- With regard to definition-writing students, as a result of having spent years padding out written assignments in order to meet word-length requirements, were somewhat bemused to be told that fewer words were better than a long, wordy definition.2015, James Lambert, “Lexicography as a teaching tool: A Hong Kong case study”, in Lan Li, Jamie McKeown, Liming Liu, editors, Dictionaries and corpora: Innovations in reference science. Proceedings of ASIALEX 2015 Hong Kong, Hong Kong: The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, page 146:
2
Proscribed, Sometimes To be amused, especially sardonically.
- When those incorrigible things, Poets, are once irrecoverably Be-mus'd1705, Alexander Pope, Letters:
- a parson much be-mus'd in beer1735, Alexander Pope, Satires of Dr. Donne versified:
- This old man generally bemused himself in beer, once a fortnight.1784, Edward Harwood, The Case of the Rev. Dr Harwood, page 27:
1 more example
- […] more innocently, and no doubt profitably, than if he had dined at a big-wig's board or bemused himself with smoke and beer among his brethren of the pen.1891, Grace L. Keith Johnston, The Halletts: A Country Town Chronicle, volume 3, page 34:
- Derived terms
- bemusement