A light entertainment or amusement that distracts from more serious matters.
From French 'divertissement,' derived from 'divertir' (to divert, turn aside), from Latin 'divertere' (dis- + vertere, to turn). The suffix -ment indicates a state or result.
This word captures something quintessentially French—the idea that entertainment isn't frivolous but rather a necessary diversion from life's burdens. It's the ancestor of the modern word 'divertissement' and appears frequently in 17th-18th century English texts describing theatrical interludes.
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