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 ; to engage the attention of agreeably;...
Definitions
- To amuse ; 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 | — |
| 4 | Proto-Italic | tenēō | to hold |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | ten- | to stretch, to extend |
Words derived from “entertain”