Entertaiment is an activity that provides enjoyment and distraction. It can be as simple as watching a film on your own, as elaborate as a banquet adapted for two, or as large as performances intended for thousands of people. Although many entertainments are purely recreational, others have a serious purpose, such as ceremonies, festivals, religious events, or satire. The word entertainment derives from the Medieval Latin intertenere, from the prefix inter meaning “inside” and the suffix tenere, from the Indo-European root ten, which means to stretch or extend.
See our article about the history of Entertaiment. See also the etymology of some other familiar entertainment words.