Where does “entertain” come from?
Entertain comes from Old French entretenir, formed from Old French tenir (to hold) and Latin inter (between), ultimately derived from Proto-Indo-European ten- (to hold or stretch).
entertain (English): To amuse (someone); to engage the attention of agreeably
Definitions
- To amuse (someone); to engage the attention of agreeably
Ancestry of “entertain”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | entretenir | to support one another |
| 2 | Old French | tenir | to possess; to have; to hold |
| 3 | Latin | teneō | to hold, have; to grasp |
| 4 | Proto-Italic | tenēō | to hold |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | ten- | to stretch, to extend |
Words derived from “entertain”
- entertainment
- entertaining
- entertainer
- infotainment
- entertainingly
- edutainment
- unentertaining
- advertainment
- edutain
- entertainable
- nonentertainment
- entertaineth
- eatertainment
- entertainest
- retailtainment
- shoppertainment
- agritainment
- docutainment
- entertainingness
- militainment
- entertainability
- unentertainingly
- disinfotainment
- entertainee