A useful or pleasant feature of a place, building, or service, such as a pool, Wi‑Fi, or a playground. Amenities make life more comfortable or enjoyable.
From Latin *amoenitās* (“pleasantness, delightfulness”), from *amoenus* (“pleasant, lovely”). It entered English via French with the sense of comfort and pleasant features.
An “amenity” is anything that adds pleasantness, which is why hotels love to list them. The word’s root is about delight, not necessity—Wi‑Fi is an amenity, oxygen is not. It’s a linguistic clue about what a culture considers “comfort-level important.”
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