A source of pleasure, diversion, or amusement: A good crossword puzzle is entertainment for many.
A hospitable provision for the wants and needs of guests: the elaborate entertainments offered at the ball.
From Middle English entretenement, from Old French entretenement; see entertain.
Entertainment is a remarkably adaptable concept. It can be adapted to any scale, from a private entertainment for two (choosing from an enormous array of pre-recorded products) to an entire party, banquet or performance geared for thousands or even a global audience. It also seems to be able to transcend different media, with certain familiar forms demonstrating an almost unlimited capacity for creative remix. Entertaining themes often hit on the points that the brain was evolved to deeply respond to — such as social backstabbing and murders.
