Dictionary / pleasure
pleasure
- noun
- interjection
- verb
- from Old French
A state of being pleased or contented; gratification.
1 All current definitions
Every sense of “pleasure” in current use, as recorded by Wiktionary. Older and obsolete senses are kept separately.
noun
- uncountableA state of being pleased or contented; gratification.
He remembered with pleasure his home and family.
- countableA person, thing or action that causes enjoyment.
It was a pleasure to meet you.
- uncountableSexual enjoyment.
- uncountableOne's preference.
What is your pleasure: coffee or tea?
- formaluncountableThe will or desire of someone or some agency in power.
to hold an office at pleasure: to hold it indefinitely until it is revoked
interjection
- pleased to meet you, "It's my pleasure"
verb
- transitiveTo give or afford pleasure to.
[H]e / [...] / Had tost his ball and flown his kite, and roll'd / His hoop to pleasure Edith, [...]1864, Alfred Tennyson, “Aylmer’s Field”, in Enoch Arden, &c., London: Edward Moxon & Co., […], →OCLC, page 55:
- transitiveTo give sexual pleasure to.
Johnny pleasured Jackie with his mouth last night.
Older & obsolete senses (1)
- datedintransitiveTo take pleasure; to seek or pursue pleasure.
Cross-check: WordNet senses (5)
- nouna fundamental feeling that is hard to define but that people desire to experience — also: pleasance
- nounsomething or someone that provides a source of happiness — also: joy, delight
- nouna formal expression
- nounan activity that affords enjoyment
- nounsexual gratification
Synonyms: beatitude, bliss, delectation, delight, ecstasy, euphoria, lust, nirvana, pleasure, rapture, ravishment, transport
Antonyms: agony
2 History of the word
The etymology, the path the word travelled, and the words built from it.
The word’s journey, newest to oldest:
- English (today)pleasure
- Early Modern Englishpleasur
- Old Frenchplesir
- Latinplaceō “to please, to seem good”
- Latinthe
From Early Modern English pleasur, plesur, alteration (with ending accommodated to -ure) of Middle English plaisir (“pleasure”), from Old French plesir, plaisir (“to please”), infinitive used as a noun, conjugated form of plaisir or plaire, from Latin placeō (“to please, to seem good”), from the Proto-Indo-European *pleh₂-k- (“wide and flat”). Related to Dutch plezier (“pleasure, fun”). More at please.
Derivatives — words built from “pleasure”
Phrases & compounds
Related terms
Want to go deeper? See also “pleasure” on Etymonline ↗
3 Original language
Where “pleasure” came from before it was English.
4 Original meaning
What the word meant at the oldest point the record reaches.
Historical meaning — Webster’s 1913
A historical record, labelled as such: some of these senses are dated or have since shifted.
pleasure n. [F. plaisir, originally an infinitive. See Please.]
- The gratification of the senses or of the mind; agreeable sensations or emotions; the excitement, relish, or happiness produced by the expectation or the enjoyment of something good, delightful, or satisfying; -- opposed to pain, sorrow, etc.
- Amusement; sport; diversion; self-indulgence; frivolous or dissipating enjoyment; hence, sensual gratification; -- opposed to labor, service, duty, self-denial, etc.
- What the will dictates or prefers as gratifying or satisfying; hence, will; choice; wish; purpose.
- That which pleases; a favor; a gratification.
pleasure v. t.
- To give or afford pleasure to; to please; to gratify.
pleasure v. i.
- To take pleasure; to seek pursue pleasure; as, to go pleasuring.
5 Use it with confidence
Model sentences from the sources, matched to the meaning they show. Read each one aloud, then make your own in the game.
nounMeaning: A state of being pleased or contented; gratification.
He remembered with pleasure his home and family.
I get a lot of pleasure from watching others work hard while I relax.
nounMeaning: A person, thing or action that causes enjoyment.
It was a pleasure to meet you.
Having a good night's sleep is one of life's little pleasures.
nounMeaning: One's preference.
What is your pleasure: coffee or tea?
nounMeaning: The will or desire of someone or some agency in power.
to hold an office at pleasure: to hold it indefinitely until it is revoked
to be imprisoned at Her Majesty's pleasure: to be imprisoned indefinitely
verbMeaning: To give or afford pleasure to.
[H]e / [...] / Had tost his ball and flown his kite, and roll'd / His hoop to pleasure Edith, [...]1864, Alfred Tennyson, “Aylmer’s Field”, in Enoch Arden, &c., London: Edward Moxon & Co., […], →OCLC, page 55:
verbMeaning: To give sexual pleasure to.
Johnny pleasured Jackie with his mouth last night.
In the opening scene, Rupert Campbell-Black (played by Alex Hassell), the gravitational center of Cooper’s world, is seen pleasuring a woman in the bathroom of a Concorde jet, thrusting so vigorously that she hardly notices when the plane goes supersonic.2024 November 28, Sophie Gilbert, “The Silliest, Sexiest Show of the Year”, in The Atlantic:
nounMeaning: a fundamental feeling that is hard to define but that people desire to experience
he was tingling with pleasure
nounMeaning: something or someone that provides a source of happiness
the pleasure of his company
nounMeaning: a formal expression
he serves at the pleasure of the President
nounMeaning: an activity that affords enjoyment
he puts duty before pleasure
Three steps to owning it
- Pick one meaning above and read its model sentence out loud.
- Say who or what the word is about in your own life, then build a sentence around that.
- Check it against the definition: would a careful reader understand exactly that meaning?
6 The mastery game
Play it here, or print it and do it with pen and paper. At the end you will know the meanings, history, origin and original meaning — and you will have used the word yourself.
Say it, then spell it
pleasure
/ˈplɛʒə/ · pleas·ure
Say the word out loud three times, slowly. Notice the stressed syllable. When you are ready, hide it and spell it from memory.
Activate Words · Word-mastery worksheet · Name: ______________________ Date: __________
pleasure
/ˈplɛʒə/ · pleas·ure · noun, interjection, verb
Step 1 — Say it and write it
Say “pleasure” out loud three times. Then cover the word and write it three times from memory.
Step 2 — Know every meaning
Read each definition. Then write it again in your own words.
Step 3 — Which meaning is it?
“He remembered with pleasure his home and family.”
Circle the meaning used.
“It was a pleasure to meet you.”
Circle the meaning used.
“What is your pleasure: coffee or tea?”
Circle the meaning used.
Step 4 — History and origin
Write the word’s journey back in time (each language and form):
Write three words built from “pleasure” and what each means:
Step 5 — Original meaning
The earliest traceable form is Latin placeō. What did it mean?
How does that original meaning connect to the meanings today?
Step 6 — Use it yourself
☐ I can explain its meanings ☐ I know its history ☐ I know its original language ☐ I know its original meaning ☐ I can use it confidently
Answer key — pleasure
Which meaning, sentence 1: C. A state of being pleased or contented; gratification.
Which meaning, sentence 2: B. A person, thing or action that causes enjoyment.
Which meaning, sentence 3: B. One's preference.
Origin: D. Old French (Old French plesir)
Journey: English pleasure ← Early Modern English pleasur ← Old French plesir ← Latin placeō ← Latin the
Some derivatives: antipleasure, end-pleasure, fore-pleasure, forepleasure, gold-of-pleasure, gold-pleasure, pleasurable, pleasurance
Original meaning: Latin placeō — “to please, to seem good”
Etymology: From Early Modern English pleasur, plesur, alteration (with ending accommodated to -ure) of Middle English plaisir (“pleasure”), from Old French plesir, plaisir (“to please”), infinitive used as a noun, conjugated form of plaisir or plaire, from Latin placeō (“to please, to seem good”), from the Proto-Indo-European *pleh₂-k- (“wide and flat”). Related to Dutch plezier (“pleasure, fun”). More at please.
Sources: Wiktionary “pleasure” (https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/pleasure#English), CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org; Princeton WordNet 3.0; Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913, public domain) via GCIDE. Worksheet from https://activatewords.com/w/pleasure