Entertaiment: A clown at a birthday party, a Broadway show, a stadium rock concert, friends fighting over the last potato chip—all are forms of entertainment. The word comes from the old French entretenir, which means “to support or hold together.” It’s related to hospitality—hosts entertain guests. From there, it came to mean amusement or distraction. Theatrical entertainment is a show, visual entertainment is stuff you like to look at, and audio entertainment is mostly music.
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What is entertainment for one person or group may be considered work or even an act of cruelty by another.