delectation

AI In plain words

Writing a short explanation…

Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.

delectation

/ˌdiːlɛkˈteɪʃən/ UK
/ˌdɪlɛkˈteɪʃən/ UK

Rhymes with -eɪʃən

Where it comes from

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.

noun delectations

countable, uncountable Great pleasure; delight. Do not let us men despise these instincts because we cannot feel them. These women were made for our comfort and delectation, gentlemen,—with all the rest of the minor animals.
Similar: delection

Translations

Every language

noun great pleasure; delight

Español	deleite, delectación
Română	delectare, desfătare
Русский	наслажде́ние naslaždénije, удово́льствие udovólʹstvije

Talk about this word

Cite this

MLA

"delectation." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/delectation. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

delectation. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/delectation

Chicago

"delectation." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/delectation.

BibTeX

@misc{delectation_2026,
  title = {delectation},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/delectation},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}