Entertain
Entertain , transitive verb
[French entretenir; entre between (Latin inter) + tenir to hold, Latin tenere. See Tenable.]
1.
To be at the charges of; to take or keep in one's service; to maintain; to support; to harbor; to keep.
You, sir, I entertain for one of my hundred.
2.
To give hospitable reception and maintenance to; to receive at one's board, or into one's house; to receive as a guest.
Be not forgetful to entertain strangers; for thereby some have entertained unawares.
3.
To engage the attention of agreeably; to amuse with that which makes the time pass pleasantly; to divert; as, to entertain friends with conversation, etc.
The weary time she can not entertain.
4.
To give reception to; to receive, in general; to receive and take into consideration; to admit, treat, or make use of; as, to entertain a proposal.
I am not here going to entertain so large a theme as the philosophy of Locke.
A rumor gained ground, -- and, however absurd, was entertained by some very sensible people.
5.
To meet or encounter, as an enemy. [Obsolete] — Shakespeare
6.
To keep, hold, or maintain in the mind with favor; to keep in the mind; to harbor; to cherish; as, to entertain sentiments.
7.
To lead on; to bring along; to introduce. [Obsolete]
To baptize all nations, and entertain them into the services institutions of the holy Jesus.
Entertain , intransitive verb
To receive, or provide entertainment for, guests; as, he entertains generously.
Entertain , noun
[Compare French entretien, from entretenir.]
Entertainment. [Obsolete] — Spenser