A discoth¨que (or discoteque), is an entertainment venue or club with recorded music played by "Discaires" (Disc jockeys) through a PA system, rather than an on-stage band. The word derives from the French word discoth¨que (a type of nightclub). Discoth¨que is a portmanteau coined around 1941 from disc and biblioth¨que (library) by La Discoth¨que, then located on the Rue de la Huchette in Paris, France. Previously, most bars and nightclubs used live bands as entertainment.
The term disco was originally a 1960s US abbreviation of discoth¨que, a place where "disco music" was played.