Pleasure
nounA feeling of happy satisfaction or enjoyment; something that gives delight.
How to spell pleasure
8 letters · 2 syllables
How to pronounce pleasure
Say the part in capitals loudest.
What does pleasure mean?
- nounA feeling of happy satisfaction or enjoyment; something that gives delight.
Pleasure in a sentence
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It's a pleasure to meet you.
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It's a real pleasure to see you again.
Where does pleasure come from?
Language of origin: French
The word comes from the Old French plaisir, originally a verb meaning 'to please' that was also used as a noun for 'enjoyment' or 'delight'. That verb traces back to the Latin placere, meaning 'to please' or 'to be acceptable', the same root that gives us 'placid', 'placate', and 'complacent'. English borrowed the noun in the 1300s, and over time the ending shifted from the French -ir to the more familiar English -ure pattern seen in 'leisure' and 'measure'. This re-spelling is precisely the trap: the word is pronounced 'plezh-er' yet stubbornly keeps the silent-feeling 'ea' from 'please' and ends in -ure rather than the -er you hear. Remembering that pleasure is simply 'please' with a different tail helps fix the opening letters in the mind.
How the word is built
- pleas- (from Old French plaisir: to please)
- -ure (noun suffix forming abstract nouns)
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