Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “amusingly” come from?

Amusingly derives from English amusing, which comes from Old French a- and Latin ad-, both from Latin ad meaning "to," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ád with the same sense.

amusingly (English): In an amusing manner

Definitions

  1. In an amusing manner

Ancestry of “amusingly”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishamusingpresent participle of amuse; Entertaining; Funny,...
2EnglishamuseTo entertain or occupy in a pleasant manner; to...
3Middle Englishamusento mutter, be astonished, gaze meditatively on
4Old Frenchamuserto stupefy, waste time, be lost in thought
5Old Frencha-indicating movement towards something;...
6Latinad-to; usually prefixed to verbs, in which cases it...
7Proto-Italic*ad-—
Every word from Proto-Italic *ad- →