entertain
/ˌɛntɚˈteɪn/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 3.83 in modern English
9
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
3
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
Example Sentences
- "to entertain friends with lively conversation"
- "The motivational speaker not only instructed but also entertained the audience."
- "They enjoy entertaining a lot."
- "Be not forgetful to entertain strangers[…]"
- "About 200 guests were invited and entertained to lunch in the so-called booking hall at Waterloo; the contractors, Spiers & Pond Limited, were much praised for organising the repast, with attendant cloak room facilities, so well in such unfavourable surroundings."
- "The committee would like to entertain the idea of reducing the budget figures."
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”.
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˌɛntɚˈteɪn/
- British English: /ˌɛntəˈteɪn/