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Entertain
Definitions
- 1 Entertainment; pleasure. obsolete, uncountable
"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 Reception of a guest; welcome. obsolete, uncountable
"But neede, that answers not to all requests, / Bad them not looke for better entertayne […]"
- 1 to amuse (someone); to engage the attention of agreeably transitive
"to entertain friends with lively conversation"
- 2 take into consideration, have in view wordnet
- 3 To have someone over at one's home, or some other venue, for a party or visit. intransitive, transitive
"They enjoy entertaining a lot."
- 4 maintain (a theory, thoughts, or feelings) wordnet
- 5 to receive and take into consideration; to have a thought in mind transitive
"The committee would like to entertain the idea of reducing the budget figures."
Show 5 more definitions
- 6 provide entertainment for wordnet
- 7 to take or keep in one's service; to maintain; to support; to harbour; to keep obsolete
"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."
- 8 to meet or encounter, as an enemy obsolete
"O noble English, that could entertain with half their forces the full pride of France"
- 9 to lead on; to bring along; to introduce obsolete
"to baptize all nations, and to entertain them into the services and institutions of the holy Jesus"
- 10 to help; to assist; to answer a phone call India, Malaysia, Philippines, sometimes
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. Sense of answering a phone call in Malaysian English is influenced by Malay layan “to serve, to attend to or engage with something”.
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. Sense of answering a phone call in Malaysian English is influenced by Malay layan “to serve, to attend to or engage with something”.
See also for "entertain"
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