Amusement

The a in "amuse" was once privative:

In Greek, άμουσος means “unmusical”—

i.e., not acquainted with the muse: a “clown.”

Which word derives in turn from colonus,

Occupier of what was another's land,

Something, willy-nilly, that we all are,

Some of nearby territory—

Though most, naturally, by far.

“Sir, Colonus is an Inhabitant:

A Clown Original: as you’ld zay a Farmer, a Tiller o’

Th’ Earth,

E’re sin’ the Romans planted their Colony first."

—Ben Jonson, A Tale of a Tub (1633), act 1, sc. 3

Hence we're amused, albeit unbemused.

It's not just our language that's confused!

Thursday, August 7, 2025