Whether it is the clown at your child’s birthday party, a Broadway musical, or stadium rock, entertainment takes many forms. But, at its root, entertainment is amusement, and we all need it to survive. Entertaiment is derived from the Middle English entretenement, meaning “support, maintenance.” But it has evolved and can now be adapted to any scale from a single person watching a TV show; to a private event with a banquet for two; to a performance designed to engage thousands.

This article originally appeared on the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF) blog and is republished with permission. EIF is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization whose mission is to accelerate scientific breakthroughs that improve lives and protect our planet. For more information, visit www.eifonline.org.

This content is produced by the EIF Communications team.