Pleasaunt

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Archaic spelling meaning giving delight or enjoyment, agreeable and pleasing to the senses or mind
2. An older form of a word describing something enjoyable, gratifying, or easy and nice to experience
3. Old-fashioned term for something that gives people satisfaction, comfort, or a sense of happy ease

Etymology: "Pleasaunt" is an older spelling of "pleasant" that English used in the Middle Ages and early modern period, when the word was written in many variant forms. It came into Middle English as "plesaunte," borrowed from Old French "plaisant," the present participle of "plaisir," meaning "to please." That French root is the same one behind "please," so "pleasant" is literally "pleasing" in origin, describing something that gives pleasure. The word also has a close cousin in Dutch, "plezant," which means "full of fun or pleasure," a sign of how widely this French-derived term spread across the languages of northern Europe. In English it partly replaced the native Old English word "wynsum," which survives today as "winsome," meaning charmingly attractive or cheerful. The word's sense has stayed close to its origin: something that pleases the senses or the mind.

Synonyms: pleasant, agreeable, delightful, genial, affable

Antonyms: unpleasant, disagreeable