delight

Where does the word "delight" come from? It comes from Latin delectare, passing through Old French before entering English (1200s).

Delight’s story begins in Latin: delectare meant “to charm.” A frequentative of 'delicere', to allure. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as delit. Spelled 'delite' in English until the 1500s. It reached English by 1200s as delight. The 'gh' was added by analogy with 'light', though the words are unrelated. Today, delight means great pleasure.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient delectare "to charm", a frequentative of 'delicere', to allure.
2. Stage 2 · Old French · medieval delit "pleasure", spelled 'delite' in English until the 1500s.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1200s delight "great pleasure", the 'gh' was added by analogy with 'light', though the words are unrelated.