delight
/dɪˈlaɪt/
noun/verb
Origin
Latin
delectare — to allure, charm, or please
Overview
Meaning Now
- A high degree of pleasure or enjoyment; great satisfaction.
- Something that gives great pleasure.
Literal older meaning
to allure or please
Language path
Latin → Old French → Middle English
Earliest form
delit
Earliest period
13th century
Journey
The spelling of 'delight' was significantly altered during the 15th and 16th centuries. Originally spelled 'delit' (from Old French), the 'gh' was added by scribes who mistakenly associated the word with Germanic-origin words like 'light' and 'night', despite having no etymological connection to them.
Evolution
- Latin
delectare
“to charm, to delight”
- Old French
delitier
“to please greatly”
- Middle English
delit
“pleasure, enjoyment”
Spelling influenced by late-medieval confusion with light
- Modern English
delight
“great pleasure”
Final 'gh' added by analogy with words like light and night
Connections
Word parts
de-
prefix
intensive or off
lectare
root
to lure or entice
Related across languages
French
délicieux
delicious
Italian
dilettare
to delight
Explore next
Related to delight
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.