Standard Lemma guide

delectation

noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /ˌdiːlɛkˈteɪʃən/
  • UK: /ˌdɪlɛkˈteɪʃən/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -eɪʃən

1

noun

Meaning 1

Great pleasure; delight.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: delection

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

act of receiving pleasure from something

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: enjoyment

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: activity

3

noun

Meaning 3

a feeling of extreme pleasure or satisfaction

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • his delight to see her was obvious to all

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: delight

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: pleasure, pleasance

Narrower terms: entrancement, ravishment, amusement, Schadenfreude

History

Etymology

Attested from the mid 14th century, from Old French delectation (“enjoyment”), from Latin dēlectātiōnem, accusative singular of dēlectātiō, from the verb Latin dēlectō (“to delight, charm, please”), frequentative of dēliciō, from de- (“away”) + laciō (“to lure, to deceive”), from Proto-Italic *lakjō (“to draw, pull”), of unknown ultimate origin. By surface analysis, delect + -ation or delectate + -ion. Related to delight and delicious.

Across languages

Translations

17 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: наслада (naslada) — great pleasure; delight
  • Bulgarian: удоволствие (udovolstvie) — great pleasure; delight
  • Danish: fornøjelse — great pleasure; delight
  • Danish: glæde — great pleasure; delight
  • Finnish: nautinto — great pleasure; delight
  • Finnish: mielihyvä — great pleasure; delight
  • Finnish: ilo — great pleasure; delight
  • Finnish: iloitseminen — great pleasure; delight
  • Finnish: delektaatio — great pleasure; delight
  • Norwegian Bokmål: glede — great pleasure; delight
  • Polish: rozkoszowanie się — great pleasure; delight
  • Romanian: delectare — great pleasure; delight
  • Romanian: desfătare — great pleasure; delight
  • Russian: наслажде́ние (naslaždénije) — great pleasure; delight
  • Russian: удово́льствие (udovólʹstvije) — great pleasure; delight
  • Spanish: deleite — great pleasure; delight
  • Spanish: delectación — great pleasure; delight