amuseurs

Amuseur is a French noun meaning a person whose role is to amuse others. The feminine form is amuseuse and the plural forms are amuseurs (masc) and amuseuses (fem). It derives from amuser, to amuse, with the agent suffix -eur. The term is relatively broad and historically used to refer to entertainers whose function is to entertain audiences rather than to perform a specific craft.

In practice, amuseurs cover a wide range of performers, including clowns, magicians, comedians, singers, actors, jugglers, ventriloquists, and street or café-concert artists. They could appear in courts, salons, theatres, music halls, circuses, or at public gatherings. In older French usage, the expression amuseur public described someone hired to entertain guests at social events.

In contemporary French, amuseur is largely used in historical, literary, or descriptive contexts; more common labels for specific roles include artiste, comédien, humoriste, clown, or animateur, depending on the specialty. The underlying concept—a professional whose primary aim is to amuse audiences—persists across cultures, even when terminology changes.

Related topics include entertainer, comedian, vaudeville, cabaret, street performance, and circus.