Attested from the 13th century, from Middle English delite, from Old French deleiter, deliter, from Latin dēlectō, frequentative of dēlicere, from dē- ("away") + laciō ("I lure, I deceive"), from itc-pro *lakjō, of unknown ultimate origin.

• IPA: /dəˈlaɪt/, /dɪˈlaɪt/

delight

1. Joy; pleasure.
   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC ↗, Proverbs 18:2 ↗:

     A fool hath no delight in understanding.

   • 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC ↗, [Act III, scene ii]:

     […] the isle is full of noises,
     Sounds and sweet airs, that give delight and hurt not.

2. Something that gives great joy or pleasure.
   • 1580, Greensleeves:

     Greensleeves was all my joy / Greensleeves was my delight, […]

   • 1667, John Milton, “Book V”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC ↗; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC ↗, lines 17-19:

     […] Awake
     My fairest, my espous’d, my latest found,
     Heav’ns last best gift, my ever new delight,

• French: plaisir, délice, joie
• German: Freude, Entzückung, Wohlgefallen, Lust
• Italian: delizia, piacere
• Portuguese: deleite
• Russian: восто́рг
• Spanish: deleite, regocijo, delicia, placer, delectación, gozo

delight (delights, present participle delighting; simple past and past participle delighted)

1. To give delight to; to affect with great pleasure; to please highly.
   • 1842, Tennyson, Le Morte d'Arthur:

     Delight our souls with talk of knightly deeds.

   A beautiful landscape delights the eye.

2. (intransitive) To have or take great pleasure.
   • c. 1515–1516, published 1568, John Skelton, Againſt venemous tongues enpoyſoned with ſclaunder and falſe detractions &c.:

     A ſclaunderous tunge, a tunge of a ſkolde,
     Worketh more miſchiefe than can be tolde;
     That, if I wiſt not to be controlde,
     Yet ſomwhat to ſay I dare well be bolde,
     How ſome delite for to lye, thycke and threfolde.

   • 1580, Greensleeves:

     For I have loved you well and long, / Delighting in your company.

   • 1908, T.J. Griffths, The Cambrian, volume 28, page 504:

     He was an eisteddfodwr and delighted to hear good singing, whether it was in the sanctuary or at the eisteddfodic gatherings.

• delicacy
• delicate
• delicatessen
• delicious

• French: enchanter, ravir
• Italian: deliziare
• Portuguese: deliciar, encantar
• Spanish: regocijar, complacer, deleitar, hacer las delicias de