pleasure

English

Wikipedia

Etymology

From Middle English, alteration of Middle English plaisir (“pleasure”), from Old French plesir, plaisir (“to please”), infinitive used as a noun. More at please.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA: /ˈplɛʒə/, SAMPA: /"plEZ@/
• (US) enPR: plĕzhʹər, IPA: /ˈplɛʒɚ/, SAMPA: /"plEZ@`/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛʒə(r)

Noun

pleasure (plural pleasures)

1. (uncountable) a state of being pleased

   He remembered with pleasure his home and family.

   I get a lot of pleasure from watching others work hard while I relax.

2. (countable) a person or thing that causes enjoyment

   It was a pleasure to meet you.

   The puppy was a pleasure.

   Having a good night's sleep is one of life's little pleasures.

3. (uncountable) one's preference

   What is your pleasure, coffee or tea?

4. (formal) (uncountable) 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

   at Congress's pleasure: whenever or as long as Congress desires

Synonyms

• (state of mind) delight, gladness, gratification, happiness, indulgence, satisfaction
• (person or thing that causes enjoyment): delight, joy
• (preference) desire, fancy, want, will, wish
• (will or desire of party in power) discretion

Antonyms

• pain
• displeasure

Translations

a state of being pleased

Albanian: kënaqësi American Sign Language: OpenB@Chest-PalmBack RoundSurface Arabic: متعة f. Armenian: հաճույք (hy) (hačuyk’) Azerbaijani: həzz Bengali: নন্দ (anondo) Bosnian: zadovoljstvo (bs) n. Bulgarian: удоволствие (bg) (udovolstvie) n., наслада (bg) (naslada) f. Chinese: 欢乐 (huān lè) Croatian: užítak (hr) m., zadovòljstvo (hr) n. Czech: potěšení (cs) m. Dutch: genoegen (nl) n., welbehagen (nl) n., plezier (nl) n. Esperanto: plezuro (eo) Estonian: lõbu (et) Finnish: huvi (fi) French: plaisir (fr) m. Georgian: სიამოვნება (siamovneba) German: Vergnügen (de) n., gern geschehen (de) Greek: ευχαρίστηση (eucharístēsē) f., απόλαυση (apolafsē) f., τέρψη (terpse) f., ηδονή (hedoné) f. Hebrew: ענג (oneg) m. Hindi: आनंद (hi) (ānand) m. Hungarian: gyönyörűség (hu) Indonesian: kesenangan Interlingua: placer (ia) Irish: pléisiúr m. Italian: piacere (it) m. Japanese: 喜び (よろこび) (yorokobi) Korean: 쾌락 (kwaerak)

Kurdish: Sorani: خۆشی (ku) (xoshí) Latgalian: prīca Latin: voluptas (la) f., iucunditas (la) f., delectatio (la) f., oblectatio (la) f., delectamentum (la) n., graudium (la) n., dulcedo (la) f. Latvian: prieks Lithuanian: malonumas Luxembourgish: Plëséier (lb) m. Mongolian: баяр жаргал (mn) (bajar žargal) Norwegian: fornøyelse (no) m. Old English: drēam (ang) m. Persian: کیف (kaif) Polish: przyjemność (pl) f. Portuguese: prazer (pt) m. Romanian: plăcere (ro) f. Russian: удовольствие (udovól’stvije) n. Scottish Gaelic: tlachd (gd) f. Serbian: задовољство (sr) (zadovoljstvo) n., ужитак (sr) (užitak) m. Slovak: potešenie n. Spanish: placer (es) m. Swahili: anasa (nc 9/10) Swedish: behag (sv) n. Tagalog: kaaliwan Thai: ความปิติยินดี (kwaam bpìt yindee) Turkish: zevk (tr) Ukrainian: задоволення (zadovólennja) f. Vietnamese: niềm vui thích Welsh: bodd (cy) m., boddhâd (cy) m., hyfrydwch (cy) m., mwynhâd (cy) m., mwyniant (cy) m. and f., pleser (cy) m. Yiddish: פֿאַרגעניגן (yi) (fargenigen) n. m.

person or thing that causes enjoyment

Armenian: հաճույք (hy) (hačuyk’) Croatian: užítak (hr) m., zadovòljstvo (hr) n. French: plaisir (fr) m. German: Freude (de) f., Spaß (de) m. Luxembourgish: Plëséier (lb) m.

Portuguese: prazer (pt) m. Russian: удовольствие (ru) n., наслаждение (ru) n., удовлетворение (ru) n., радость (ru) f., (плотские) радости (ru), развлечение (ru) n. Scottish Gaelic: tlachd (gd) f.

one's preference

Croatian: preferèncija (hr) f., French: désir (fr) m.

Russian: склонность (ru) f., расположенность (ru) f., желание (ru) n., воля (ru) f.

Verb

pleasure (third-person singular simple present pleasures, present participle pleasuring, simple past and past participle pleasured)

1. (transitive) to give pleasure (especially sexual pleasure) to

   Johnny pleasured Jackie orally last night.

Translations

one's preference

American Sign Language: OpenB@Chest-PalmBack RoundSurface Czech: uspokojit (cs)

German: Vergnügen bereiten (being pleased) Russian: радовать (ru), доставлять удовольствие (ru), удовлетворять (ru)

Derived terms

Related terms

antipleasure at Her Majesty's pleasure, at His Majesty's pleasure at one's pleasure, at pleasure business before pleasure do someone a pleasure do someone the pleasure of during Her Majesty's pleasure, during His Majesty's pleasure during one's pleasure, during pleasure end-pleasure English pleasure fore-pleasure gold of pleasure, gold-of-pleasure, gold-pleasure

it's a pleasure lady of pleasure man of pleasure may I have the pleasure my pleasure pleasurable pleasurance pleasure barge pleasure boat pleasure-carriage pleasure center, pleasure centre pleasure craft pleasure cruise pleasure curve pleasured pleasure dome pleasuredrome pleasureful

pleasure-giving pleasure ground pleasurehood pleasure house the pleasure is all mine, the pleasure's all mine the pleasure is mine, the pleasure's mine pleasureless pleasure-loving pleasurement pleasure moment pleasuremonger pleasure of someone's company pleasure-pain principle pleasure principle

pleasurer pleasure-seeker pleasure-seeking pleasures of the flesh pleasures of the table pleasure steamer pleasure trip pleasure-unpleasure principle pleasuring pleasurist pleasurous sexual pleasure to one's pleasure, to pleasure unpleasure western pleasure with pleasure woman of pleasure

Related terms

• displeasure
• please
• pleasant

External links

• pleasure in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• pleasure in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911