Entertaiment is a rich and complex word with a wide range of meanings. It reaches from the personal choice of one individual from an enormous array of pre-recorded entertainment products; to a banquet adapted for two; to performances intended for thousands; and to an industry generating huge financial empires. It also reflects the societal needs of a community: for example, a cancer research centre may have been labelled as entertainment.
The etymology of entertain comes from the Medieval Latin intertenere and Old French entretenir (based on the root ten, meaning to hold). Its use has changed over time as society’s needs change.