Enjoy
verbTo take pleasure or satisfaction in something, or to benefit from having it.
How to spell enjoy
5 letters · 2 syllables
How to pronounce enjoy
Say the part in capitals loudest.
What does enjoy mean?
- verbTo take pleasure or satisfaction in something, or to benefit from having it.
Enjoy in a sentence
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Most guests enjoy a quiet breakfast before the meetings begin.
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Retired staff still enjoy full access to the company gym.
Where does enjoy come from?
Language of origin: French
This word comes from the Old French enjoir or enjoier, meaning 'to give joy' or 'to take pleasure in', formed from the prefix en-, which carries the sense of bringing into a state, plus joie, meaning 'gladness' or 'delight'. That joie itself descends from the Latin gaudium, meaning 'joy', built on the verb gaudere, 'to rejoice'. English adopted the word in the 1300s, at first with senses like 'to put in a joyful state' and 'to take delight in something'. Over time the meaning settled into the familiar modern one of finding pleasure in an experience or possessing something to one's benefit. The spelling preserves the French roots cleanly, so the main thing to remember is the single n after the e and the -oy ending rather than -oi.
How the word is built
- en- (to make, to bring into)
- joy (from Old French joie: gladness, delight)
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