Fromamuse +‎-er.

amuser (pluralamusers)

1. Someone whoamuses.
2. (obsolete) One whodivertsattention, usually todistract orbewilder, often forfraudulent purposes; hence acheat,deceiver orthief.
3. (historical, early 19^th century) One of a class of rogues who carry snuff or dust in their pockets, which they throw into the eyes of people so as to enable their accomplices to rob them while pretending to help them.
   • 1993, Stella Cameron,Only by Your Touch, HarperCollins,page88:

     He should have knowed better than to tangle with you, Miss Lindsay. Where did you learn to be anamuser, then?

   • 2002, various authors,Gangs of New York (film), Miramax Films, Entertainment Film Distributors:

     BOSS TWEED — No one important, necessarily. Average men will do. Back alleyamusers with no affiliations.

   • 2013, Michelle Lovric,The Remedy, Bloomsbury,page59:

     Valentine watches the bunch ofamusers close around the politician, the leader already dipping into his pocket for the snuff to fling into the eyes of their victim.

• Maseru,Mauser,Semrau

Inherited fromMiddle Frenchamuser(“to amuse, divert, babble”), fromOld Frenchamuser(“to stupefy, waste time, be lost in thought”), froma- +muser(“to stare stupidly at, gape, wander, waste time, loiter, think carefully about, attend to”), of uncertain and obscure origin. Cognate withOccitanmusa(“idle waiting”),Italianmusare(“to gape idly about”). Possibly fromOld French*mus(“snout”) fromVulgar Latin*mūsa(“snout”) (compareMedieval Latinmūsum(“muzzle, snout”)), fromProto-Germanic*mū-(“muzzle, snout”), fromProto-Indo-European*mū-(“lips, muzzle”). CompareGermanMaul(“muzzle, snout”).

An alternative etymology connectsOld Frenchmuser andOccitanmusa withOld High Germanmuoza(“careful attention, leisure, idleness”), fromProto-Germanic*mōtǭ(“leave, permission”), fromProto-Indo-European*med-(“to acquire, possess, control”). Compare alsoOld High Germanmuozōn(“to be idle, have leisure or opportunity”),GermanMuße(“leisure”). More atempty.

• IPA^(key):/a.my.ze/

• Audio:

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amuser

1. (transitive) toamuse, toentertain
2. (reflexive, s'amuser) tohave fun, toenjoy oneself

• amusant
• amusement
• amuse-gueule
• amusette
• amuseur
• s’amuser comme un petit fou

• → Franco-Provençal:amusar
• → German:amüsieren

• “amuser”, inTrésor de la langue française informatisé[Digitized Treasury of the French Language],2012.

• masure,Maures,maures,mesura,mueras,musera,remuas,résuma,ruâmes

• amûther(Saint Ouën)

FromOld Frenchamuser(“to stupefy, waste time, be lost in thought”), froma- +muser(“to stare stupidly at, gape, wander, waste time, loiter, think carefully about, attend to”), of uncertain and obscure origin.

amuser

1. (Jersey)This term needs a translation to English. Please help out andadd a translation, then remove the text{{rfdef}}.