Article

Entertaiment is the amusement we take from a performance. The clown at your kid’s birthday party, a Broadway show, a stadium rock concert—anything that diverts us or amuses us is entertainment. From Middle English entretenement (“support, maintenance”), it relates to hospitality; today we think of entertainment as distraction and enjoyment. We also talk about visual entertainment as shows, and audio entertainment as music. The most familiar forms of entertainment are amazingly flexible, crossing media and changing with the times.