Letitia

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A feminine personal name derived from the Latin word for gladness or joy
2. A woman's name of Latin origin meaning cheerfulness or delight
3. A female given name coming from the Latin root signifying happiness or contentment

Etymology: Leticia is a given name whose meaning is written into it: it comes from Latin "laetitia," meaning "gladness" or "joy." The Latin noun was a common word for happiness and delight, and it passed into the Christian naming tradition through a saint of that name, an obscure Spanish figure whose cult gave the name its currency in Spanish-speaking lands. From there the name spread beyond Spain and Latin America, carried by naming habits rather than by any change in meaning. Its sense stayed fixed to the Latin original, so a bearer of the name is, etymologically, a bearer of the word for joy.