Is there a connection between the ancient Greek muse and the word amused? No. The muses were mythological figures who inspired the likes of Homer, while amuse comes from the Latin word for “staring stupidly,” as in, “to be distracted by mindless entertainment.” This is part of a complete episode.
Transcript of “Muse and Amused”
Hello, you have A Way with Words.
Hello, my name is Drew Davis, and I am calling from the Washington, D.C. area.
Hi, Drew.
My mom and sister have been a long-time listener of your show.
Oh, great. Welcome to the show. What are you doing in D.C.?
My question comes from when we lived in California last year.
In my English class, we were reading The Odyssey.
And you know the line in the beginning about the muse, like, oh, great muse?
Right, the indication of the muse that used to be traditional in poetry, right?
Yeah.
Yes. Well, that line, we had to do an essay on that, and it got stuck in my head that day after school when I was running cross-country.
It was like it fit in with my rhythm somehow.
Nice.
As I was running, the question came to me. The word muse and amused really aren’t that similar, although they sound a lot alike.
Like, amuse is someone who, like, inspires, right?
Mm—
Like, creates you to do something or is the thing that makes you paint a picture or write a poem.
Mm—
But to be amused is more like to be entertained.
Exactly. So you’re wondering if there’s a similarity as a common root between those two words?
Yeah, I’m wondering, like, why they’re so different.
Like, is there any common ground between them?
Not really. The only common ground really is that superficial resemblance, but they come from completely different roots.
The muses in ancient Greece were the mythological creatures who inspired people.
As you said, they presided over the arts and sciences.
And the word amuse has a whole different history.
It actually goes back to a Latin word that has to do with the idea of staring stupidly.
It may be related to muzzle.
And sort of when you’re musing on something, you’re sort of, you got that kind of look on your face.
Like a hot dog?
Not the edible kind.
No.
Or like a dog that’s lost the scent, you know.
Oh, I see.
You’re thinking.
And so the idea of a muse eventually came to mean you’re sort of distracted from whatever’s at hand.
Oh, I see.
Yeah, so completely different routes.
But it’s slowly changed, and now we think of it as being entertained.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, diverted from something serious.
But I’m delighted that you were reading The Odyssey and had that going through your head.
You were running cross-country, did you say?
Yes.
Excellent.
That’s great.
And so what muse do you use when you run cross-country?
I guess my coaches.
Yeah, there we go.
Kind of make us run faster.
Maybe Calliope, the muse of epic poetry, would work there, right?
Yeah.
Yeah, maybe.
Thanks for calling.
Thank you so much.
Bye-bye.
Okay, take care.
Bye.
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