Where does “-tainment” come from?
-tainment (English) comes from English entertainment, from English entertain, from Old French entretenir, from Old French tenir, from Latin teneō, from Proto-Italic tenēō, from Proto-Indo-European ten- — to stretch, to extend.
-tainment (English): Denoting material created in part to entertain,...
Definitions
- Denoting material created in part to entertain,...
Ancestry of “-tainment”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | entertainment | An activity designed to give pleasure, enjoyment,... |
| 2 | English | entertain | To amuse (someone); to engage the attention of agreeably |
| 3 | Old French | entretenir | to support one another |
| 4 | Old French | tenir | to possess; to have; to hold |
| 5 | Latin | teneō | to hold, have; to grasp |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | tenēō | to hold |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ten- | to stretch, to extend |