delectation

[dee-lek-tey-shuh n]

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noun

delight; enjoyment.

Origin of delectation

1350–1400; Middle English delectacioun < Latin dēlectātiōn- (stem of dēlectātiō), equivalent to dēlectāt(us) (see delectate) + -iōn- -ion

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for delectation

elation, enjoyment, joy, rapture, amusement, pleasure, happiness

Examples from the Web for delectation

Historical Examples of delectation

To spin yarns for Charley's delectation would have been absurd.
Wilfrid Cumbermede
George MacDonald
And brought there expressly for your delectation, I suppose.
Orley Farm
Anthony Trollope
After dinner she continued the recital of her adventures for the Master's delectation.
The Belovd Vagabond
William J. Locke
She came in pretending to beat an imaginary horse, for the delectation of Meta.
The Shadow of Ashlydyat
Mrs. Henry Wood
They were reserved for the delectation of the sovereign and his court.
Old and New Paris, v. 1
Henry Sutherland Edwards

British Dictionary definitions for delectation

delectation

noun

pleasure; enjoyment

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for delectation

mid-14c., from Old French delectation "enjoyment" (12c.), from Latin delectationem (nominative delectatio), noun of action from past participle stem of delectare (see delight (n.)).