entertain
[ en-ter-teyn ]
/ ˌɛn tərˈteɪn /
verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
to exercise hospitality; entertain company; provide entertainment for guests: They loved to talk, dance, and entertain.
Nearby words
Origin of entertain
1425–75; late Middle English entertenen to hold mutually < Middle French entretenir ≪ Vulgar Latin *intertenēre, equivalent to Latin inter- inter- + tenēre to hold
Related formso·ver·en·ter·tained, adjectivepre·en·ter·tain, verb (used with object)un·en·ter·tained, adjectivewell-en·ter·tained, adjective
Synonym study
1. See amuse.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for entertained
British Dictionary definitions for entertained
entertain
/ (ˌɛntəˈteɪn) /
verb
to provide amusement for (a person or audience)
to show hospitality to (guests)
(tr) to hold in the mindto entertain an idea
Word Origin for entertain
C15: from Old French entretenir, from entre- mutually + tenir to hold, from Latin tenēre
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for entertained
entertain
late 15c., "to keep up, maintain, to keep (someone) in a certain frame of mind," from Middle French entretenir (12c.), from Old French entretenir "hold together, stick together, support," from entre- "among" (from Latin inter; see inter-) + tenir "to hold" (from Latin tenere; see tenet).
Sense of "have a guest" is late 15c.; that of "amuse" is 1620s. Meaning "to allow (something) to consideration" (of opinions, notions, etc.) is 1610s. Related: Entertained; entertaining.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper