entretenir

From entre +‎ tenir.

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic) [ən.tɾə.təˈni]
• IPA^(key): (Valencian) [en.tɾe.teˈniɾ]
• Rhymes: -i(ɾ)

entretenir (first-person singular present entretinc, first-person singular preterite entretinguí, past participle entretingut); root stress: (Central, Valencian, Balearic) /e/

1. to delay, hold up

   Synonym: retenir

2. to entertain

   Synonyms: divertir, distreure

3. (takes a reflexive pronoun) to waste time, to dawdle
4. (takes a reflexive pronoun) to be delayed

   Synonym: retardar-se

5. (takes a reflexive pronoun) to amuse oneself

   Synonym: distreure's

• entreteniment
• entretenir-se

• “entretenir” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “entretenir”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2024
• “entretenir” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “entretenir” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

Inherited from Middle French entretenir, from Old French entretenir; equivalent to entre + tenir.

• IPA^(key): /ɑ̃.tʁə.t(ə).niʁ/

• Audio

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entretenir

1. (transitive) to maintain, to look after

   Le Canada entretient une relation de premier plan avec les États-Unis, pays avec lequel il partage la plus longue frontière non défendue du monde.

   Canada maintains a high-profile relationship with the United States, a country with which it shares the longest undefended border in the world.

2. (transitive) to support (e.g a family)
3. (transitive, figuratively) to fuel, to keep something going
4. (reflexive) to have a discussion (with someone)
5. (reflexive) to keep fit

This is a verb in a group of -ir verbs. All verbs ending in -tenir, such as contenir and détenir, are conjugated this way. Such verbs are the only verbs whose the past historic and subjunctive imperfect endings do not start in one of these thematic vowels (-a-, -i-, -u-).

• entretien

• “entretenir”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

• inertèrent

From Old French entretenir.

entretenir

1. (transitive) to maintain; to look after

• English: entertain
• French: entretenir

entre + tenir.

entretenir

1. (reflexive, s'entretenir) to support one another

This verb conjugates as a third-group verb. This verb has a stressed present stem entretien distinct from the unstressed stem entreten, as well as other irregularities. Old French conjugation varies significantly by date and by region. The following conjugation should be treated as a guide.

• Middle French: entretenir
  • → English: entertain
  • French: entretenir