Plesaunce

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A feeling of enjoyment or satisfaction ; a garden laid out for recreation and aesthetic pleasure
2. The sensation or state of being pleased ; a formal garden designed for leisure and enjoyment
3. Delight or gratification ; an ornamental enclosed space planted for entertainment and visual appeal

Etymology: Middle English "plesaunce" is a real word, though it has dropped out of use: it meant pleasure, delight, or agreeable enjoyment. Its spelling shows its French ancestry. It came into English in the 1300s from Old French "plaisance," a noun formed from "plaisant," the present participle of "plaisir," "to please." That verb descends from Latin "placere," the source of English "please" and "pleasure," so "plesaunce" is a close relative of both words. The French form itself could also mean goodwill or a willingness to oblige, and English "plesaunce" carried some of that sense too, so the word once described a kind of courteous pleasantness as well as delight. Its near-identical twin "pleasance," meaning an ornamental garden or pleasure ground, arrived in English through the same French root, which is why the two spellings sometimes appear side by side in older texts.