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delectation

[dee-lek-tey-shuh n]
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noun
  1. delight; enjoyment.
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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. 2018

Related Words

elationenjoymentjoyraptureamusementpleasurehappiness

Examples from the Web for delectation

Historical Examples

  • 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.

  • 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
  1. pleasure; enjoyment
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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

n.

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.)).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper