Entertain
/ˌɛn.təˈteɪn/noun
To occupy someone's attention or provide amusement; also to consider or hold an idea in mind.
Did you know?The word entered English through French from a Latin root meaning “to hold between,” which is why it can mean both hosting people and keeping a thought alive in your mind.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ten-
“to hold, stretch”
Latin
Latin
tenēre
“to hold, keep, possess”
Late Latin
Latin
intertenēre
“to hold among, keep occupied”
Old French
Old French
entretenir
“to maintain, support, keep up; to keep company with”
Middle English
English
entertenen
“to maintain, keep in repair; to provide for”
Modern English
English
entertain
“to amuse, engage, or consider”