A broad category of activities that entertain and amuse an audience. Examples include sports events, movies, theater, art exhibits, music concerts, circuses, television shows and other forms of popular culture.
The word entertainment has come to be associated with amusement, so much so that it is often used in place of words referring to more serious topics, such as work or politics. But entertainment can also have a serious purpose, as in ceremonies, religious festivals, political satire and other types of social activism.
The suffix -ment is a common suffix in English that was inserted into Latin verb stems to form nouns indicating the result of the action, such as amazement, betterment, and merriment. It is also inserted into French verb stems to create nouns that derive from the action, such as entretenir and gratifyment.