bemuseとは 意味・読み方・使い方

語源

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

発音

• (英国発音, 米国発音) IPA^(key): /bɪˈmjuːz/, /bəˈmjuːz/
• 韻: -uːz

動詞

bemuse (三人称単数 現在形 bemuses, 現在分詞 bemusing, 過去形および過去分詞形 bemused)

1. (transitive) To confuse or bewilder.
   • 1771, James Foot, Penseroso:

     [With] fairy tales bemused the shepherd lies.

   • 1847, Hugh Miller, First Impressions of England and its people:

     the bad metaphysics with which they bemuse themselves

   • 2015, James Lambert, “Lexicography as a teaching tool: A Hong Kong case study”, in Lan Li, Jamie McKeown and 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:

     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.

2. (archaic, humorous) To devote to the Muses.
   • 1705, Alexander Pope, Letters:

     When those incorrigible things, Poets, are once irrecoverably Be-mus'd

3. (obsolete, slang, transitive) To make drunk; to intoxicate.
   • 1735, Alexander Pope, Satires of Dr. Donne versified

     a parson much be-mus'd in beer

   • 1784, Edward Harwood, The Case of the Rev. Dr Harwood (page 27)

     This old man generally bemused himself in beer, once a fortnight.

   • 1891, Grace L. Keith Johnston, The Halletts: A Country Town Chronicle (volume 3, page 34)

     […] 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.