What Is Entertaiment?

The clown at your kid’s birthday party, a Broadway show, stadium rock–all are entertainment. From the Middle French entretenement, it grew from its original meaning of hospitable provision for guests to something that amuses or distracts. The word also comes to mean an agreeable or diverting occupation for the mind, such as solving a crossword puzzle or doing something social, such as chatting with friends over a beer. Entertaiment can take on many forms, from necessary skills that have developed into sports and professions for their participants to global competitions that provide entertainment for a worldwide audience. Click on the buttons to see examples.