A New Dictionary

Have you ever considered what the literal definition of amuse is? Let us dissect the word in question:

"a"-- negative/not (as in "atheist"-- not a theist)"muse" -- to think or consider

Therefore, the literal definition is that to be amused is to not think.

The archaic denotation is 'to delude or deceive'.



Here is a link to a good article on this topic