a high degree of pleasure or enjoyment; joy; rapture: She takes great delight in her job.
2.
something that gives great pleasure: The dance was a delight to see.
verb (used with object)
3.
to give great pleasure, satisfaction, or enjoyment to; please highly: The show delighted everyone.
verb (used without object)
4.
to have great pleasure; take pleasure (followed by in or an infinitive): She delights in going for long walks in the country.
Origin: 1175–1225; (v.) respelling, after light1, of earlier delite,Middle Englishdeliten < Anglo-Frenchdeliter,Old Frenchdelitier < Latindelectāre (see delectable); (noun) respelling (as above) of Middle Englishdelit < Anglo-French,Old French, derivative of v.
Related forms
de·light·er, noun
de·light·ing·ly, adverb
de·light·less, adjective
self-de·light, noun
un·de·light·ing, adjective
Synonyms 1. transport, delectation. See pleasure. 3. charm, enrapture.
something that causes this: music was always his delight
[C13: from Old French delit, from deleitier to please, from Latin dēlectāre, from dēlicere to allure, from de- + lacere to entice; see delicious; English spelling influenced by light]
early 13c., delit, from O.Fr. delit, from delitier "please greatly, charm," from L. delectare "to allure, delight," freq. of delicere "entice" (see delicious). Spelled delite until 16c. when it changed under influence of light, flight, etc. Related: Delightful (1520s).