† 1. The action of upholding or maintaining. Obs.
1610. Death Rauil., in Harl. Misc. (Malh.), III. 114. Letters patent … for the intertainement of the edict made in Nantes.
† 2. The action of maintaining persons in one’s service, or of taking persons into service. Also, the state or fact of being maintained in or taken into service; service, employment. Obs.
1577–87. Holinshed, Chron., I. 78/1. The Saxons … desirous of intertainment to serue in warres.
1601. Shaks., All’s Well, IV. i. 17. He must thinke vs some band of strangers, i’th aduersaries entertainment. Ibid. (1604), Oth., III. iii. 250. Note if your Lady straine his [Cassio’s] Entertainment With any strong, or vehement importunitie.
1647. Sprigge, Anglia Rediv., IV. vii. (1854), 269. All officers and soldiers … that shall desire to take entertainment from any foreign kingdom.
a. 1662. Heylin, Laud, II. (1671), 239. To undertake some Stipendary Lecture, wheresoever they could find entertainment.
† b. Provision for the support of persons in service (esp. soldiers); concr. pay, wages. Obs.
1535. Act 27 Hen. VIII., c. 11 § 1. The kings clerks … haue for their enterteinements and their clerkes, no fees nor wages certaine for those offices.
1596. Spenser, State Irel., 89. The which eighteene thousand pounds will defray the entertainment of 1500 Souldiers.
1612. Davies, Why Ireland, etc. (1787), 24. The Earl of Stafford’s entertainment was, for himself six shillings and eight pence per diem.
1682. Evelyn, Mem. (1857), II. 172. And other officers, with their several salaries and entertainments.
1709. Strype, Ann. Ref., Introd. ii. 16. Granting him 20s. a Day … towards the Entertainment of an Hundred Horsemen serving there under him.
† 3. Maintenance; support; sustenance. Obs.
1603. Knolles, Hist. Turkes (1621), 1391. Lands for the intertainement of them and their horses.
1692. Ray, Dissol. World, iii. (1732), 36. Most convenient for the Entertainment of the various Sorts of Animals.
1705. Stanhope, Paraphr., III. 468. Creatures … designed for the Service and Entertainment of Mankind.
1754. Erskine, Princ. Sc. Law (1809), 89. The expence laid out upon the minor’s entertainment.
1761. Hume, Hist. Eng., III. 71. James … erected a college at Chelsea for the entertainment of twenty persons.
† 4. Manner of social behavior. Obs.
1531. Elyot, Gov., II. xii. With hir good maners and swete enterteinements.
1572. J. Jones, Bathes Buckstone, Pref. 3. The maners that to Phisicions belonged, are that thei be of gentle entertaynment.
1598. Barret, Theor. Warres, IV. i. 118. Gouerne them with convenient speeches, and good entertainment and curtesie.
† 5. Treatment (of persons). Obs.
1568. Grafton, Chron., II. 669. He was of the Nobilitie receyved, and with all honorable entertainement conveyed to the Kinges presence.
1645. Pagitt, Heresiogr. (1662), 45. This [viz. burning] was the entertainment that these sectaries had in times past.
1648. Boyle, Seraph. Love (1659), 78. The savage Entertainment, He met with in it [the World].
† 6. Discussion of a subject. Obs.
1675. R. Burthogge, Causa Dei, 329. To conclude this tedious Entertainment of the Gentile Divinity, I will add [etc.].
7. Occupation; spending (of time). Now rare.
1551. Robinson, trans. More’s Utop., I. iiij b. What familiar occupieng and enterteynement there is amonge ye people.
1588. Shaks., L. L. L., V. i. 126. Sir Holofernes, as concerning some entertainment of time.
1860. Motley, Netherl. (1868), I. iii. 91. A dallying entertainment of the time.
8. The action of occupying (a person’s) attention agreeably; interesting employment; amusement.
1612. Brinsley, Lud. Lit., xxviii. (1627), 282. An Oration by the highest, to giue the visitours intertainment.
1756–7. trans. Keysler’s Trav. (1760), III. 123. A person who is fond of seeing natural curiosities cannot but meet here with the highest entertainment.
1824. Coleridge, Aids Refl. (1850), Introd. 47. He who seeks to find instruction in the following pages, will not fail to find entertainment likewise.
1857. Willmott, Pleas. Lit., xxi. 123. Biography … furnishes entertainments to the reader.
b. That which affords interest or amusement.
1659. Gentl. Calling (1696), 83. Other Mens [Affairs] … are the usual entertainment of those that neglect their own.
1683. Dryden, Life Plutarch, 80. It [history] has alwayes been the most delightful Entertainment of my life.
1713. Steele, Spect., No. 423, ¶ 1. Gloriana shall be the name of the Heroine in to Day’s Entertainment.
1756. Burke, Subl. & B., III. iv. These fine descriptive pieces … have been the entertainment of ages.
1788. Reid, Aristotle’s Logic, iv. § 3. 81. His appetite for this kind of entertainment.
c. esp. A public performance or exhibition intended to interest or amuse.
Johnson (1755) assigns to the word a specific application to ‘the lower comedy’; in recent use it often denotes an assemblage of performances of varied character, as when music is intermixed with recitations, feats of skill, etc.
1727. J. Thurmond (title), The Miser; or Wagner and Abericock, A Grotesque Entertainment.
1806–7. J. Beresford, Miseries Hum. Life (1826), V. xiii. The entertainments at Astley’s or the Circus.
1847. Emerson, Repr. Men, Shaks., Wks. (Bohn), I. 353. Importunate for dramatic entertainments.
1881. Saintsbury, Dryden, 18. Davenant succeeded in procuring permission from the Protector … to give what would now be called entertainments.
9. The accommodation of anything in a receptacle. Obs.
1697. Potter, Antiq. Greece, III. xx. (1715), 152. Harbours were Places render’d … commodious for the Entertainment of Ships.
1721. Perry, Daggenh. Breach, 122. Sufficient room for the Entertainment of Ships in this Harbour.
† 10. Reception (of persons); manner of reception.
1589. Greene, Menaphon (Arb.), 66. Hath your hot intertainment cooled your courage?
1606. Shaks., Ant. & Cl., III. xiii. 140. Get thee backe to Cæsar, Tell him thy entertainment.
1690. Locke, Hum. Und., II. ix. § 7 (1695), 67. According to the divers circumstances of Childrens first entertainment in the World.
1692. Bp. Ely, Answ. Touchstone, A iv. In the very Prisons, where the Romish-Priests could meet with any entertainment.
11. The action of receiving a guest. Also, the action of treating as a guest, of providing for the wants of a guest.
1594. Hooker, Eccl. Pol., I. x. (1611), 32. The courteous entertainment of forreiners and strangers.
1649. Roberts, Clavis Bibl., 421. Hezekiah’s entertainment of them with gladnesse.
1698–9. Ludlow, Mem., I. 21 (R.). Whitehall, where a constant Table was provided for their Entertainment.
1702. J. Logan, in Pa. Hist. Soc. Mem., IX. 110. The entertainment has been some charge, his retinue and company being great.
1725. De Foe, Voy. round World (1840), 245. Not the custom of the Spaniards to let their wives appear in any public entertainment of friends.
1848. Macaulay, Hist. Eng., I. 385. The improvement of our houses of public entertainment has be no means kept pace with the improvement of our roads and of our conveyances.
1883. E. T. Payne, in Law Times, 27 Oct., 432/2. The proprietor of [an inn] … undertakes to provide for the entertainment of all comers.
b. concr. Hospitable provision for the wants of a guest; esp. provision for the table. Somewhat arch.
1540. in Ellis, Orig. Lett., I. 146, II. 126. The most bountiful gifts, the chere and most gratiouse enterteignment.
1590. Spenser, F. Q., I. x. 37. His office was to giue entertainement And lodging unto all that came.
1661. Pepys, Diary, 22 Aug. To my uncle Fenner’s, where there was great deal of company, but poor entertainment.
1728. Morgan, Algiers, II. iv. 260. Provided of all requisite Entertainment for at least a Twelvemonth.
1849. G. P. R. James, Woodman, xii. Take order that lodging and entertainment be prepared at York.
c. A meal; esp. a formal or elegant meal; a banquet. Somewhat rare in recent use.
1607. Shaks., Timon, I. ii. 153. You have done our pleasures Much grace (faire Ladies) Set a faire fashion on our entertainment.
1669. Marvell, Corr., Wks. 1872–5, II. 285. A Bill … against giving of interteinments of meat or drink.
1681. R. Knox, Hist. Ceylon, 89. The Entertainment is, green Leaves … which they eat raw, with Lime and Betel-nut.
1766. Goldsm., Vic. W., xxxii. A very genteel entertainment … dressed by Mr. Thornhill’s cook.
c. 1775. Burke, Sp. Durat. Parl., Wks. X. 81. Entertainments, drinkings, open houses.
1841. Lane, Arab. Nts., I. 90. When the man returned from an entertainment.
12. † a. The action of accepting (a present or proposal); the receiving in a certain manner (news, events, etc.); the ‘reception’ (esp. favorable reception, welcome), e.g., of a newly published book, of a new idea or doctrine, etc. Obs.
1586. A. Day, Eng. Secretary, I. (1625), 124. By patient sufferance, and entertainment of our harmes.
1612. Rowlands, More Knaues Yet, E j b. For if a bribe doe entertainment find,
1612. Brinsley, Pos. Parts (1669), Introd. 4. By the welcome and kind entertainment of my first labours [etc.].
1648. Bp. Hall, Select Th. (1654), xxiv. 80. The evils which we look for, fall so much the less heavily, by how much we are fore-prepared for their entertainment.
a. 1672. J. Tillotson, in Wilkins, Nat. Relig. (1676), Pref. A 1. The ensuing Treatise … needs nothing else to make way for its entertainment.
1699. Bentley, Phal., 343. His Forgery met with good Entertainment.
1727. S. Switzer, Pract. Gardiner, xxxvii. 196. The Scorzonera has of late met with great entertainment at the tables of the curious.
b. The taking into consideration; entering upon the discussion (of a question).
1841. Myers, Cath. Th., IV. § 13. 181. Men will grow more and more averse to the entertainment of questions which [etc.].
c. The cherishing (an idea) in the mind.
1841. Miall, Nonconf., I. 17. The deliberate entertainment of this selfish design.
