bemuse

WOTD – 14 May 2008    

English

Etymology

From be- +‎ muse. In meaning, influenced by bemaze.

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA: /bɪˈmjuːz/, /bəˈmjuːz/, X-SAMPA: /bI"mju:z/

• Audio (US)

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Verb

bemuse (third-person singular simple present bemuses, present participle bemusing, simple past and past participle bemused)

1. (transitive) To confuse or bewilder.
   • 1735 A parson much be-mus'd in beer. — Alexander Pope, Satires of Dr. Donne versified
   • 1771 [With] fairy tales bemused the shepherd lies. — James Foot, Penseroso
   • 1847 The bad metaphysics with which they bemuse themselves. — Hugh Miller, First Impressions of England and its people
2. (archaic, humorous) To devote to the Muses.
   • 1705 When those incorrigible things, Poets, are once irrecoverably Be-mus'd. — Alexander Pope, Letters

Translations

to confuse or bewilder

• Bulgarian: обърквам (bg) (obǎrkvam), смайвам (bg) (smajvam), слисвам (bg) (slisvam)
• Dutch: verbijsteren (nl)
• Finnish: hämmentää, häkellyttää, saattaa ymmälle
• French: déconcerter (fr), stupéfier (fr)
• Polish: speszyć, zdeprymować

• Portuguese: confuso (pt)
• Russian: поражать (ru) (poražatʹ), ошеломлять (ru) (ošelomljatʹ), смущать (ru) (smuščatʹ)

to devote to the Muses