entertain

English

Alternative forms

• entertaine (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English entertenen, from Middle French entretenir, from Old French entretenir, from entre (“among”) + tenir (“to hold”), from Latin inter + teneō (“hold, keep”). For the noun, compare French entretien.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌɛntəˈteɪn/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˌɛntɚˈteɪn/, [ˌɛɾ̃ɚˈtʰeɪn]

  • Audio (US)

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  • Audio (New Jersey)

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• Hyphenation: en‧ter‧tain
• Rhymes: -eɪn

Verb

entertain (third-person singular simple present entertains, present participle entertaining, simple past and past participle entertained)

1. (transitive) To amuse (someone); to engage the attention of agreeably.

   to entertain friends with lively conversation

   The motivational speaker not only instructed but also entertained the audience.

2. (transitive and intransitive) To have someone over at one's home for a party or visit.

   They enjoy entertaining a lot.

   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Hebrews 13:2:

     Be not forgetful to entertain strangers […]

3. (transitive) To receive and take into consideration; to have a thought in mind.

   The committee would like to entertain the idea of reducing the budget figures.

   to entertain a proposal

   • 1851, Thomas De Quincey, Literary Reminiscences:

     I am not here going to entertain so large a theme as the philosophy of Locke.

   • 1850, Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter, a Romance, Boston, Mass.: Ticknor, Reed, and Fields, →OCLC:

     A rumour gained ground, — and, however absurd, was entertained by some very sensible people.

4. (obsolete) To take or keep in one's service; to maintain; to support; to harbour; to keep.
   • c. 1589–1590 (date written), Christopher Marlo[we], edited by Tho[mas] Heywood, The Famous Tragedy of the Rich Iew of Malta. […], London: […] I[ohn] B[eale] for Nicholas Vavasour, […], published 1633, →OCLC, Act I:

     Intreat 'em fair, and give them friendly speech,
     And seem to them as if thy sins were great,
     Till thou hast gotten to be entertain'd.

   • c. 1603–1606, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of King Lear”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act XXVI, scene iii], page vi:

     You, sir, I entertain for one of my hundred.

5. (obsolete) To meet or encounter, as an enemy.
   • 1599, William Shakespeare, “The Life of Henry the Fift”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene ii]:

     O noble English, that could entertain with half their forces the full pride of France

   • 1860, British Parliament, Naval Discipline Act‎^[1], page 1069:

     Penalty for entertaining a Deserter

6. (obsolete) To lead on; to bring along; to introduce.
   • 1651–1653, Jer[emy] Taylor, ΕΝΙΑΥΤΟΣ [Eniautos]. A Course of Sermons for All the Sundays of the Year. […], 2nd edition, London: […] Richard Royston […], published 1655, →OCLC:

     to baptize all nations, and to entertain them into the services and institutions of the holy Jesus

Derived terms

• entertainer
• entertaining
• entertainment

Related terms

English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *ten-‎ (1 c, 60 e)

Translations

to amuse

• Azerbaijani: əyləndirmək
• Belarusian: забаўля́ць impf (zabaŭljácʹ), ба́віць (be) impf (bávicʹ)
• Bulgarian: забавля́вам (bg) impf (zabavljávam), развлича́м (bg) impf (razvličám)
• Catalan: entretenir (ca), divertir (ca), distreure (ca)
• Cornish: didhana
• Czech: bavit (cs) impf
• Danish: underholde, fornøje
• Dutch: vermaken (nl), amuseren (nl)
• Esperanto: amuzi, regali
• Estonian: lõbustama
• Finnish: viihdyttää (fi)
• French: divertir (fr)
• German: unterhalten (de)
• Hebrew: בידר (bidér)
• Hungarian: szórakoztat (hu)
• Ido: amuzar (io)
• Irish: déan siamsa do, cuir siamsaíocht ar fáil do

  Old Irish: ar·peti

• Italian: divertire (it)
• Kabuverdianu: anima, animá
• Latin: remittor, oblectō
• Macedonian: забавува impf (zabavuva)
• Maori: whakangahau, whakapārekareka
• Mirandese: adbertir, antretener
• Polish: bawić (pl) impf, zabawiać (pl) impf
• Portuguese: divertir (pt), entreter (pt)
• Romanian: distra (ro)
• Russian: развлека́ть (ru) impf (razvlekátʹ), развле́чь (ru) pf (razvléčʹ), забавля́ть (ru) impf (zabavljátʹ), позаба́вить (ru) pf (pozabávitʹ)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: за̀бављати impf, за̀бавити pf

  Roman: zàbavljati (sh) impf, zàbaviti (sh) pf

• Slovak: baviť impf, zabávať impf
• Slovene: zabavati (sl) impf
• Spanish: divertir (es), entretener (es)
• Swahili: tumbuiza (sw)
• Swedish: underhålla (sv), roa (sv)
• Ukrainian: розважа́ти impf (rozvažáty), забавля́ти impf (zabavljáty), ба́вити (uk) impf (bávyty)
• Welsh: diddori

to have over at one's home

• Bulgarian: приемам гости impf (priemam gosti)
• Danish: beværte, traktere
• Dutch: ontvangen (nl)
• French: recevoir (fr)
• Greek:

  Ancient: ἑστιάω (hestiáō)

• Hebrew: ארח (he) (eréakh)
• Hungarian: vendégül lát (hu)
• Latin: oblecto
• Maori: whakamanuhiri, whakamanuwhiri
• Polish: bawić (pl) impf, gościć (pl) impf
• Russian: принима́ть госте́й impf (prinimátʹ gostéj)

to receive and take into consideration

• Danish: tage under overvejelse, lege med idéen om
• Esperanto: esplori (eo), konsideri, pripensi
• Hungarian: megfontol (hu), fontolóra vesz (hu), foglalkozik a gondolattal, eljátszik a gondolattal
• Polish: wziąć pod uwagę pf, brać pod uwagę (pl) impf

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Albanian: argëtoj (sq)
• Interlingua: intertener
• Japanese: 楽しませる (tanoshimaseru), 歓待する (kantaisuru), もてなす (ja) (motenasu)
• Slovene: zabavati (sl)

Noun

entertain (uncountable)

1. (obsolete) Entertainment; pleasure.
   • c. 1603 (date written), Iohn Marston, The Malcontent, London: […] V[alentine] S[immes] for William Aspley, […], published 1604, →OCLC, Act V, scene iii:

     And Celſo, prethee let it be thy care to night / To haue ſome pretty ſhew, to ſolemnize / Our high inſtalement, ſome muſike maſkerie: / Weele giue faire entertaine vnto Maria […]

2. (obsolete) Reception of a guest; welcome.
   • 1596, Edmund Spenser, “Book IV, Canto VIII”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:

     But neede, that answers not to all requests, / Bad them not looke for better entertayne […]

Alternative forms

• entertaine

Further reading

• “entertain”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• “entertain”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “entertain”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

Anagrams

• Tarentine, Terentian, antienter