| 释义 |
pleasuren. Origin: A borrowing from French. Etymons: French plaiser, plaisir. Etymology: < Anglo-Norman plaiser, pleasere, pleiser, pleissir, pleser, Anglo-Norman and Middle French plaisir, pleisir, plesir, Middle French plésir (also in Old French as plaissir ; French plaisir ) desire, wish, liking (c1100 in the phrase a son plaisir ), pleasant sensation, delight, enjoyment (c1341 or earlier), sexual gratification (c1373 or earlier), use as noun of the infinitive of plaisir , pleisir , plesir , etc. (see please v.). Compare Old Occitan plazer (a1126; also as plazir (13th cent.); Occitan plaser ), Catalan plaer , pler (both 13th cent.; earlier as †plader (c1200)), Spanish placer , †plazer (both mid 12th cent.), Portuguese prazer (13th cent.), †plazer (14th cent., < Spanish), Italian piacere (end of the 13th cent.). With the β forms compare -ure suffix1 (with which the French infinitive ending was probably confused following the shift of stress in English to the first syllable). N.E.D.(1907) also gives the pronunciation (ple·ʒiŭɹ) /ˈplɛʒ(j)ʊə(r)/. With to take one's pleasure at sense 1b compare Middle French prendre son plaisir à (1388 or earlier in this sense), prendre plaisir avec (second half of the 15th cent. or earlier in this sense). Sense 3a is apparently not paralleled in French until later (1536). With at a person's pleasure at Phrases 1 compare Old French, Middle French, French a mon (son, etc.) plaisir (c1100 in Old French: see above). With to pleasure at Phrases 2 compare Old French, Middle French à plaisir (c1190 and 1532 in apparently isolated attestations). With to do a person (a) pleasure at Phrases 3 compare Middle French, French faire plaisir à to do (a person) a service or favour, to oblige (a person) (15th cent. in this sense), also Old Occitan far plazer a to please, content (a person) (a1160; also as faire plazer a ). With man of pleasure n., woman of pleasure at Phrases 7 compare Middle French, French homme de plaisir (1579), femme de plaisir (1602 or earlier). With to take (a) pleasure at Phrases 5 compare Middle French prendre plaisir en (beginning of the 15th cent. or earlier in this sense), Middle French, French prendre plaisir à (first half of the 15th cent. in this sense). With with pleasure at Phrases 9 compare French avec plaisir (1869 in Littré in this sense). With pleasure garden n. at Compounds 1a compare Middle French, French jardin de plaisance (second half of the 15th cent.), also German Lustgarten (1636 as †lustgarte ); the corresponding use of the simplex in English at sense 3b apparently has no exact parallel in French, though compare †les plaisirs du Roy hunting ground reserved for use by the King (1669). In pleasure-greedy adj. at Compounds 1c originally after French avide de plaisirs (1846 in the passage translated in quot. 1860 for pleasure-greedy adj. at Compounds 1c). 1. the mind > emotion > pleasure > [noun] a1393 J. Gower (Fairf.) v. 501 Sche scholde thanne afore his ye Schewe al the plesir that sche mihte. ?a1450 in H. Sandison (1913) 124 (MED) Now myrth, now sorowe..now plesure, then payne. 1490 W. Caxton tr. Prol. 1 In whiche booke I had grete playsyr. 1550 J. Heywood (new ed.) i. xi. sig. Bviiv Flee pleasure, and pleasure will folow thee. a1616 W. Shakespeare (1623) iii. iii. 2 Since you make your pleasure of your paines, I will no further chide you. View more context for this quotation 1651 T. Hobbes i. vi. 25 Pleasure..(or Delight) is the apparence or sense of Good. 1690 J. Locke ii. vii. 52 By Pleasure and Pain, I would be understood to signifie, whatsoever delights or molests us. 1721 J. Mortimer (ed. 5) II. 197 I..shall next proceed to the Garden of Pleasure or Flower-Garden. 1732 G. Berkeley I. ii. xiv. 104 You admit therefore three sorts of pleasure; pleasure of Reason, pleasure of imagination, and pleasure of Sense. 1757 E. Burke i. §2. 3 Pain and pleasure are simple ideas, incapable of definition. 1792 M. Wollstonecraft v. 243 The exalted pleasure which intellectual pursuits afford would scarcely be equivalent to the hours of languor that follow. 1831 J. Sinclair II. 120 The two former I had the pleasure of finding in Paris. 1881 W. H. Mallock II. 243 Her face flushed with pleasure. 1894 E. Sullivan 88 ‘Pleasure is to the mind, what good food is to the stomach.’ Pleasure is what all creatures desire; pain what they all avoid. 1920 D. H. Lawrence vi. 74 Don't give her the pleasure of letting her think she's performed a feat—don't give her the satisfaction. 1988 May 35/2 The bird-watcher can derive endless pleasure from the abundant bird-life. the world > physical sensation > sexual relations > sexual activity > [noun] > sexual gratification the world > physical sensation > physical sensibility > sensuous pleasure > sensuality > [noun] > sensual indulgence or gratification ?a1450 in H. Sandison (1913) 124 (MED) O brykell worlde..Thow provokest man to folowe sensualyte..Thow byddest hym folowe plesure. ?a1475 (?a1425) tr. R. Higden (Harl. 2261) (1874) V. 373 (MED) A duke..entrenge in to that bedde hade his pleasure [a1387 J. Trevisa tr. lay by here], supposynge that hit hade bene the gentilwoman. a1500 tr. A. Chartier (Rawl.) (1974) 95 (MED) Thi werkis [read werkirs]..receyvid..licence to walowe in ther flesshely pleasures and vnrefrayned lechery. 1562 in F. J. Furnivall (1897) 75 He wold have had his pleasure of her. 1611 Gen. xviii. 12 Therefore Sarah laughed within her selfe, saying, After I am waxed old, shall I haue pleasure, my lord being old also? View more context for this quotation 1660 S. Pepys 8 Aug. (1970) I. 217 We lay there all night very pleasantly..I taking my pleasure with my wife in the morning. 1722 D. Defoe 29 We took our fill of our wicked Pleasure for near half a Year. 1749 J. Cleland I. 32 A secret byass..inclined her to make the most of pleasure, where-ever she could find it, without distinction of sexes. 1792 M. Wollstonecraft iv. 158 To such lengths, indeed, does an intemperate love of pleasure carry some prudent men, or worn out libertines, who marry to have a safe bed-fellow, that they seduce their own wives. 1877 M. Oliphant (ed. 2) xii The vileness which calls itself pleasure was paralyzed. 1940 L. E. Hinsie & J. Shatzky 350/2 Mixoscopia, a form of sexual perversion, deriving pleasure from watching the act of coition between the desired one and another person. 1976 20 Feb. 191/4 Rowlandson adds to the list in prints of couples taking their pleasure in carriages, even on horseback. 1992 R. MacNeil ii. 93 The touching, the kissing, the stroking, the holding..quite inexpressible pleasure. So shudderingly wonderful. the world > physical sensation > physical sensibility > sensuous pleasure > sensuality > [noun] > sensual pleasure 1526 1 Tim. v. 6 But she [sc. a widow] that liveth in pleasure, is deed even yet alive [1611 is dead while she liueth]. 1675 W. Wycherley ii. 32 Go, go, to your business, I say, pleasure, whilst I go to my pleasure, business. 1710 Ld. Shaftesbury 150 When we follow Pleasure merely, we are disgusted, and change from one sort to another. 1735 A. Pope 12 Men, some to Business, some to Pleasure take, But every Woman is, at heart, a Rake. a1774 A. Tucker (1777) III. iv. 493 Pleasure and interest are the two great deceivers we must warn men against, as continually leading them astray. 1785 W. Cowper iii. 51 Thou art not known where Pleasure is adored, That reeling goddess with the zoneless waist And wandering eyes. 1819 Ld. Byron cxix. 62 O Pleasure! you're indeed a pleasant thing, Although one must be damn'd for you, no doubt. 1837 C. G. F. Gore III. vi. 99 ‘Business before pleasure’ is a golden rule which most of us regard as iron. 1875 J. G. Holland xxix. 420 The failure will inevitably produce great distress among those who are traveling for pleasure. 1935 G. Santayana iii. xv. 449 I hate pleasure. I hate what is called having a good time. 1971 S. Howatch (1972) ii. vi. 201 It was true that females often did ride bicycles for pleasure. 2004 (Internat. ed.) June 24/2 I do not believe in mixing business with pleasure. the mind > attention and judgement > esteem > approval or sanction > [noun] 1569 R. Grafton II. 734 [He] was not the best pleased, but pleasure or displeasure, there was no remedie. the mind > will > wish or inclination > [noun] c1425 in R. H. Robbins (1952) 152 (MED) Good mestrys, I dew recumend me to yower pety, Bececheyng yow..at yowre pleysuer to thynke vpon me. c1450 C. d'Orleans (1941) 5 (MED) Y wolle thou knowe how that þe sitt The forto like in what is my plesere. 1485 W. Caxton tr. 2 Whiche..aroos & humbly demaunded hym what was his playsir. a1500 (c1370) G. Chaucer 120 With right buxom herte hooly I preye, As your moste plesure, so doth by me. 1543–4 c. 1 It is in the only pleasure and will of almighty God, how longe his highnes..shall lyue. 1569 R. Grafton II. 120 When his good pleasure shall be. a1616 W. Shakespeare (1623) ii. iv. 115 I wait vpon his pleasure: Come Sir Thurio, Goe with me. View more context for this quotation 1669 A. Marvell Let. 18 Sept. in (1971) II. 260 So expecting your pleasure I remaine Gentlemen, [etc.]. 1701 Duke of Marlborough Let. 30 July in H. L. Snyder (1975) I. 10 I have shown him the skeem you sent mee, and he tells mee that I shall let you know his pleasure by the next post. 1761 D. Hume II. xxxvi. 289 They were determined not to submit..to her will and pleasure. 1781 Ld. Macartney Let. 12 Dec. in (1950) 176 The Company by Lord Hillsborough's Letter is to retain possession of the Conquest made, till his Majesty's pleasure shall be known. 1800 c. 94 §1 In all cases where..the jury..shall find that such person was insane at the time..the court..shall order such person to be kept in strict custody, in such place and in such manner as to the court shall seem fit, until his Majesty's pleasure shall be known. 1849 T. B. Macaulay II. x. 549 They would submit to William's authority, and would, till his pleasure should be known, keep their men together. 1881 E. H. Hickey 28 I stood in the dock,..and they shut me up In a madhouse, not to come out again Till her Majesty's pleasure. 1938 Visct. Hailsham Let. in R. F. V. Heuston (1964) 489 I knew of course that I was going to resign my office, but..the King's Pleasure had not been taken, so..I could not put anything in writing. 1974 S. King (1975) 28 I'd go out and dance the hootchie-kootchie buck naked if that was her pleasure and mine. 1991 44 460 The members of the executive branch are dependent for their continuance in office on the pleasure and continued confidence of the legislature. 3. the mind > emotion > pleasure > quality of being pleasant or pleasurable > [noun] > source of pleasure 1443 in A. T. Bannister (1919) 253 (MED) Thei encrece..their laboures and diligence in prayer..all other occupacions and plesieres that be not behovefull, forborin and left. c1495 in T. Stapleton (1839) 107 Therin you wil do,..that may be plesur to you, and my contry. 1517 R. Torkington (1884) 18 They Caryed with them Riches and pleasurs, As clothe of gold and Crymsyn velvett. 1542 T. Becon sig. A5–A5v To be dallyenge amonge whores..is a pleasure for a Pope. 1585 T. Washington tr. N. de Nicolay i. xvi. 17 b This place excelleth all others in pleasures and dainties. 1639 N. N. tr. J. Du Bosc i. 11 Is there a greater pleasure, then to be present at the birth and ruin of Empires, and Monarchies? 1715 D. Defoe I. i. v. 119 These are the very things your Sister calls the Pleasure of her Life. 1725 Lady M. W. Montagu c20 Mar. (1965) II. 48 Dying, as he liv'd, indulging his Pleasures. 1790 R. Burns Tam o' Shanter 59 in (1968) II. 559 But pleasures are like poppies spread, You seize the flower, the bloom is shed. 1858 Earl of Aberdeen Let. 6 Nov. in G. C. Lewis (1870) 352 Your..love of truth renders this a duty as well as a pleasure. 1874 T. Hardy II. xi. 118 A few weeks ago you said that I was far sweeter than all your other pleasures put together, and that you would give them all up for me; and now, won't you give up this one, which is more a worry than a pleasure? 1925 V. Woolf 155 A commercial clock, suspended above a shop in Oxford Street, announced,..as if it were a pleasure to Messrs. Rigby and Lowndes to give the information gratis, that it was half-past one. 1988 M. Moorcock i. 8 He makes everything he does a pleasure. 2004 Jan. 15/2 Long-distance journeys are an absolute pleasure. society > leisure > entertainment > place of amusement or entertainment > [noun] > pleasure-ground or playground 1485 VI. 293/1 Tennements,..thanne lyinge nie to the said late Lord Herbert, and to hys plesure. a1513 R. Fabyan (1516) I. ccxxix. f. cl In the xxi. yere of his reygne Kynge Henry [I] made ye Parke of Wodestoke besyde Oxynforde, wt other plesures to ye same. 1633 J. Ford i. iii. sig. C2v None haue accesse into these priuate pleasures, Except some neere in Court. 1666 A. Wood (1892) II. 80 [Oliver] Craven, B.A. of Trinity Coll. drowned at Patten's Pleasure. 1692 A. Wood Diary 20 Aug. in (1894) III. 399 Patten's pleasure near New Park. 1914 21 Parson's Pleasure. There is no reason for any description of this here..nor is it..a ladies' bathing place. 1961 E. Williams xxi. 338 Muscles were flexed and loins ungirt for the safe cleaning of icy Parson's Pleasure. 1991 C. Dexter xxxii. 143 Of a sudden, on the way back down the Banbury Road, Morse decided to view Parson's Pleasure by daylight. the mind > emotion > pleasure > quality of being pleasant or pleasurable > [noun] 1497 in A. J. Mill (1927) 134 For vphaldin of the ald..consuetud honor consalaciovn & plesour of this burghe. c1530 vi To her be all the pleasure of this book. 1554 D. Lindsay Dialog Experience & Courteour 4540 in (1931) I. 334 Lyke Paradyse ar those prelattis places, Wantyng no plesoure of fair faces. 1626 F. Bacon §475 The Shining Willow which they call Swallow-Tail because of the Pleasure of the Leaf. 1662 H. More Antidote against Atheism (ed. 3) ii. ii, in (ed. 2) The great convenience and pleasure of Navigation. 1732 G. Berkeley I. ii. xiv. 104 Consequently the pleasures perfective of those acts are also different. 1757 S. Foote i. 28 The Pleasure of this Play, like Hunting, does not consist in immediately chopping the Prey. 1816 W. Scott I. i. 17 The pleasure of this discourse had such a dulcifying tendency. 1869 H. F. Tozer I. 149 [I] realised what I had never felt before—the pleasure of pale colours. 1930 J. R. Firth vi. 54 Play on phonæsthetic habits gives much of the pleasure of alliteration, assonance, and rhyme. 1956 W. Golding 60 The water was drinkable but there was no pleasure in the taste. 1996 4 Feb. (Review Suppl.) 63/1 In the 18th century, dukes filled whole woods with massed cherry laurel for the pleasure of its shining leaves. Phrasesc1425 in R. H. Robbins (1952) 152 (MED) Good mestrys, I dew recumend me to yower pety, Bececheyng yow..at yowre pleysuer to thynke vpon me. 1442 V. 44/1 Lifte up and close the seid lef att their pleser. 1484 W. Caxton tr. ii. xvii I drynke and ete at my playsyr. 1523 Ld. Berners tr. J. Froissart I. cxv. 137 I shall make you amendes at your pleasures. 1566 in J. H. Burton (1877) 1st Ser. I. 460 He being absent at the plesour of God. 1621 H. Slingsby (1836) 316 My lord chancellor [sc. Bacon] was this daie censured to go to the tower duringe the Kinges pleasure. 1642 in (1888) II. v. 153 Did not the people that sent them look upon them as a body but temporary, and dissoluble at his majesty's pleasure? 1688 No. 2389/3 Deputed to this Coadministration during the Pleasure of his Holiness and the Apostolick See. 1741 S. Richardson III. 250 Mr. B. presses him to accept of a Place at his Table, at his Pleasure. 1816 W. Scott Old Mortality xiii, in 1st Ser. II. 320 Whom the..housekeeper..huffed about at her pleasure. 1874 T. Hardy II. xxv. 317 He's not to die. 'Tis confinement during her Majesty's pleasure. 1885 c. 61 §2 A Secretary..who shall hold office during Her Majesty's pleasure. 1922 J. Joyce ii. xv. [Circe] 445 Let him be taken..and detained in custody in Mountjoy prison during His Majesty's pleasure and there be hanged by the neck. 1982 A. Maupin 102 You said you would love me unconditionally, at my pleasure. 1992 Feb. 8/2 We ex-hoolies (as you choose to call us) have not just disappeared back into pubs, family life, or holidays at Her Majesty's pleasure. the mind > emotion > pleasure > quality of being pleasant or pleasurable > such as to please one [phrase] 1439 in F. B. Bickley (1900) II. 171 (MED) Plese it to youre most sadde discrecions forto oversee the seid ordenaunces..Reservyng..plein poaire..to repelle, vndo, make lesse, and encrese the same ordenaunces to youre plesere. c1475 (?c1300) (Caius) 4922 (MED) Y it the may yelde To thy pleasur in towne or feelde. 1485 (Caxton) ii. xiv. sig. d.vv There were brought hym robes to his pleasyr. 1820 J. Keats Lamia ii, in 38 When in an antichamber every guest Had felt the cold full sponge to pleasure press'd..upon his hands and feet. the world > action or operation > behaviour > good behaviour > kindness > treat kindly [verb (transitive)] > be gracious or show favour to > do a favour to or treat 1460 J. Paston in (2004) I. 93 Ples yowyr Hyghnes..in consyderacion of þe seruys and plesur..to yow don by William Paston..to graunt..lettrys patentys. a1470 T. Malory (Winch. Coll.) 334 I shame nat to be with hym nor to do hym all the plesure that I can. a1500 (a1450) in C. Monro (1863) 140 (MED) Ye shal..do us greit pleasir and deserve of us especial thanke. 1526 Acts xxiv. 27 Felix, willynge to shewe the Jewes a pleasure, lefte Paul in preson bounde. 1560 J. Daus tr. J. Sleidane f. ccclxiiij The citezens shewed them what pleasure they could. a1625 J. Fletcher Valentinian iii. i, in F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher (1647) sig. Bbbbbbb3/2 If thou wilt do me pleasure, weepe a little. 1685 N. Crouch ii. 50 One..who to do the Spaniards a pleasure gave them [sc. the English] information of a great Ship called the St. Anna expected from the Philippine Islands,..which..they took within a few days after. 1742 H. Fielding I. ii. xvi. 288 If they would do him the pleasure of their Company only two days, he would furnish them with his Coach and six. View more context for this quotation 1871 R. Browning 145 But certainly Thou dost thy friend no pleasure in the act. 1923 18 Oct. 11/3 Let them do me the pleasure of asking me for the place. 1970 P. O'Brian (new ed.) xi. 340 Would you do me the pleasure of dining aboard, or are you bespoke? 1998 (Electronic ed.) 27 Feb. Would you do me the pleasure of having a coffee with me in my office next week so we can talk about it? P4. ?a1475 (?a1425) tr. R. Higden (Harl. 2261) (1872) IV. 241 Cleopatra folowede themperour Octouian, that sche myȝhte inclyne his herte to fullefille the pleasure of the flesche with her. 1529 T. More Dialogue Heresyes i, in 162/2 To call and exorte the worlde from all pleasure of the fleshe to the puritie and clennes of the body and soule. 1582 T. Bentley 18 Iudith decked hir selfe brauelie of a right discretion and vertue, for the safegard of hir people; but I for voluptuousnes and pleasure of the flesh. 1620 tr. G. Boccaccio I. Induction f. 5 Not secular persons onely, but such as are recluses, and shut up within Monasteries, breaking the Lawes of obedience, and being addicted to pleasures of the flesh, are become lasciuious and dissolute. 1665 S. Patrick xxxvii. 487 [To] keep our selves above the soft pleasures of the flesh into which we are apt to sink. 1758 W. Calcott (ed. 2) 267 The Pleasures of the flesh..are as nothing. 1799 P. Will tr. A. von Kotzebue II. i. 3 572 Sermons against the Pleasures of the Flesh. 1856 May 257 His mission is to wean men from the false pleasures of the flesh, by making them appreciative of refined factitious forms. 1867 W. H. Dixon 225 I think they were his spiritual queens and companions, chosen after the method of the Wesleyan Perfectionists; with a view, not to the pleasures of the flesh, but to the glories of another world. 1922 F. Harris I. xi. 234 The passions of the senses demand propinquity and satisfaction and nothing is more forgetful than pleasures of the flesh. 1991 R. R. McCammon i. 17 The girl with cornsilk hair and a dirty mouth earned her living by the pleasures of the flesh. the mind > emotion > pleasure > be pleased [verb (intransitive)] > take pleasure 1538 T. Elyot Teneri ludo, to take pleasure in game. 1590 C. Marlowe sig. I3 I take no pleasure to be murtherous. 1611 Psalms cii. 14 Thy servants take pleasure in her stones. View more context for this quotation 1660 F. Brooke tr. V. Le Blanc 167 Then the hunters all choose their marke, taking pleasure in darting their lances. 1727 A. Hamilton I. xix. 231 Was drowned..by a Pinnace's oversetting, in which he and his Lady had been taking a Pleasure on the Water. 1734 tr. C. Rollin II. 286 That prince..took a pleasure in being visible and of easy access to their people. 1858 N. Hawthorne Jrnl. 21 June in (1980) v. 332 Were taking their pleasure in our neighborhood. 1897 B. Stoker iii. 38 The Count's warning came into my mind, but I took a pleasure in disobeying it. 1904 J. Conrad i. viii. 91 His followers..laughed at the pursuit of the regular cavalry sent to hunt them down, and whom they took pleasure to ambush most scientifically in the broken ground of their own fastness. 1915 J. Buchan i. 15 That bold girl singing a martial ballad to the storm and taking pleasure in the snellness of the air. 1988 M. Hocking (1989) ix. 126 Tea was a meal at which she excelled, the only meal which she took any pleasure in preparing. P6. the mind > emotion > pleasure > [adverb] the mind > will > wish or inclination > [adverb] the mind > will > wish or inclination > [adverb] > while one pleases society > authority > lack of subjection > freedom or liberty > freedom of action or from restraint > without restraint [phrase] > without restriction or limit > of time 1579 L. Tomson tr. J. Calvin xxiv. 294/2 The Papistes (of whom we speake not so at pleasure). 1595 S. Daniel i. ii. sig. Bv Whilst France to see your spoyles, at pleasure stood. 1669 S. Sturmy i. ii. 33 Draw two Right Lines, making any Angle at pleasure. 1692 15 Dec. 15 149 The House was adjourned during Pleasure. 1751 S. Johnson No. 92. ⁋9 The syllables might be often contracted or dilated at pleasure. 1835 c. 76 §58 That the Council of every Borough..shall appoint a fit Person..to be the Town Clerk of such Borough, who shall hold his Office during Pleasure. 1872 26 Oct. 171/2 The ‘dolman’ is a loose jacket, with large hanging sleeves, that can be assumed or left loose at pleasure. 1953 Nov. 34/1 So it is possible to leaf through the Essays, reading a few pages and turning away at pleasure, as Montaigne himself read. 2003 (Nexis) 3 Nov. 10 Historically, the Crown/government has always appointed them and they hold their offices during pleasure. P7. the world > physical sensation > physical sensibility > sensuous pleasure > sensuality > [noun] > sensualist 1623 J. Webster v. ii. sig. M We that are great women of pleasure..ioyne the sweete delight And the pretty excuse together. 1673 in O. Airy (1890) I. 72 These men of Pleasure (ye very Pest and ruine of all Courts). 1707 G. Farquhar i. 3 Aim. A Sportsman, I suppose. Bon. Yes, Sir, he's a Man of Pleasure, he plays at Whisk, and smoaks his Pipe Eight and forty Hours together sometimes. 1732 G. Berkeley I. ii. iii. 75 Thus in our Dialect a vicious Man is a Man of pleasure. 1747 Ld. Chesterfield 27 Mar. (1932) (modernized text) III. 891 A man of pleasure, in the vulgar acceptation of that phrase, means only a beastly drunkard, an abandoned whore-master, and a profligate swearer. 1749 J. Cleland II. 138 No condition of life is more subject to revolutions than that of a woman of pleasure. 1849 T. B. Macaulay I. v. 635 Kirke was also, in his own coarse and ferocious way, a man of pleasure. 1881 A. Trollope I. xvi. 202 I do not like to hear a young man called a lout because he's more like a man of business than a man of pleasure. 1910 7 May 11/3 Miss Starr's portrayal of a weak woman of pleasure is fraught with a message of vital importance. 2002 Jan. 37/1 A bit of a loner.., who stretched the rules by living off the air base much of the time with a Jo-san—a woman of pleasure. 1836 C. Dickens (1837) ii. 12 ‘Glass of wine, Sir?’ ‘With pleasure,’ said Mr. Pickwick—and the stranger took wine; first with him..and then with the whole party together. 1852 N. Hawthorne xxi. 210 ‘Mr. Moodie,’ said I, ‘shall we lunch together? And would you like to drink a glass of wine?’... ‘With pleasure,’ he replied. 1878 H. James II. iv. 139 ‘Dear brother,’ said Eugenia at last, ‘do stop making les yeux doux at the rain.’ ‘With pleasure. I will make them at you!’ answered Felix. 1910 E. M. Forster xvii. 150 ‘Next time,’ she said to Mr. Wilcox, ‘you shall come to lunch with me at Mr. Eustace Miles's.’ ‘With pleasure.’ 1992 R. Kenan ii. 48 ‘Yes sir. I could die right now—content.’ ‘Could you?’... ‘Sho nuff could. With pleasure.’ the mind > emotion > gratitude > expressions of thanks [phrase] > dismissal of thanks 1950 L. Kaufman xxi. 259 Think nothing of it. My pleasure. 1963 ‘E. McBain’ vii. 88 ‘Well, thank you,’ Carella said. ‘Not at all. My pleasure,’ Richardson answered. 1975 ‘R. Lewis’ i. 26 ‘I enjoyed the evening, Mr Hood.’ ‘It was my pleasure, Miss Stevens.’ 2001 D. Mitchell 91 ‘Well, you've been really helpful. Thanks so much.’ She uppercuts my irony. ‘It was my pleasure, sir.’ Compounds C1. a. General attributive. 1673 J. Ray 25 Every hour of the day..goes off a Passage-Boat, somewhat like our Pleasure-Barges on the Thames, to Delft. 1775 216/1 Pleasure-barges..moored in the river. 1894 Apr. 436/1 The Zabycx rolled swiftly along, and many pleasure barges were gliding about, carrying happy excursionists. 1989 64 915 It appears to have involved something in excess of mere friendly intercourse on the Severn pleasure barge. 1793 Chronol. Arrangem. Events 1792 6 in I They were driving out in a small pleasure car. 1833 2 481/3 A pleasure car has been flying between this town and the river. 1986 47 141 He drives his pleasure car in and out of Ikoyi every day. 1778 5 Now 88,250 [horses] are kept for the use of pleasure carriages only. 1827 A. Sherwood 17 The permanent revenue is derived from taxes on lands and negroes, pleasure carriages,..and retailers of spirituous liquors. 1998 Aug. 47/3 (advt.) Pleasure carriages for single horse or pony. 1782 J. Byng Diary 3 Sept. in (1934) I. 98 A body of the enemy have posted themselves at the village of Chissell, and have taken possession of the only pleasure carts; from which we hope to dislodge them. 1850 Dec. 22/1 He walked onward hastily, and was fortunate enough to overtake a large pleasure-cart, into which he got. 1985 18 July c10 (advt.) English pleasure cart. Good condition. $450. 1859 J. H. Ingraham i. iv. 69 I have..seen three or four very light and elegant pleasure-chariots, in which [sc. Egyptian] ladies of high rank were seated. 1929 9 Mar. 1/5 The pleasure chariot was elaborately fitted with soft cushions. a1828 D. Wordsworth (1941) II. 247 A charming spot for a pleasure-cottage. 1890 13 Feb. 15/2 A piece of meadow on the shore, with brick and slated pleasure cottage used for sea bathing. 1965 20 Feb. 16/1 A superb weekend pleasure cottage with fireplace. society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > pleasure vessel > [noun] 1846 10 July 5/2 The yachts and pleasure-craft at and about the port being gaily dressed in colours. 1906 J. Conrad 38 Their striving for victory..has elevated the sailing of pleasure craft to the dignity of a fine art. 1992 Mar. 19/3 Pleasure craft can still use the River Stour, although commercial traffic ceased in 1928. society > travel > travel by water > [noun] > a voyage > cruise > for pleasure society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > outing or excursion > [noun] > type of 1837 20 July 4/6 Captain Maurice Berkeley, a Whig M.P., who finds his legislative duties so exceedingly onerous as to compel him, for his health's sake, to take an occasional pleasure cruise..at public expense. 1909 26 July 2/1 (advt.) P. & O. cheap return tickets pleasure cruises and round the world tours. 2004 (Nexis) 31 Aug. 6 He had been on a pleasure cruise. society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > pleasure vessel > [noun] 1891 3 Mar. 1/2 (advt.) The most modern and completely fitted pleasure cruiser afloat. 1945 A. Koestler i. iii. 35 For he is a captain of a warship, not of a pleasure-cruiser. 2004 (Nexis) 30 Aug. 21 Authorities discovered a cache of weapons—including an AK-47 rifle—stashed on his pleasure cruiser. society > travel > travel by water > [noun] > cruising society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > outing or excursion > [noun] > type of 1880 29 May Parties are anxious to bring a steamer up to Milwaukee for pleasure cruising. 1950 IX. 382/1 It was not..until the early 1920's that modern pleasure cruising with its carefully planned itineraries really became established. 1989 26 845 Water-based recreational activities, such as angling, pleasure cruising, sailing, canoeing and water-skiing..are popular in many areas. a1828 D. Wordsworth (1941) II. 292 The buoyancy of spirits felt in the earlier part of a pleasure-day's journey. 1866 ‘G. Eliot’ I. i. 40 Her life had been like a spoiled shabby pleasure-day. 2004 (Nexis) 24 Aug. 24 It's just a pleasure day—a good way to wind down after a week of school. 1853 4 June 3/5 There will be no place left us for pleasure driving or walking, in pursuit of health. 1864 J. M. Mackie xxiii. 250 This wind..puts an end at once to all pleasure-driving on the paseos. 2004 (Nexis) 6 Aug. c2 That devotion and dedication led to a first-place finish..in the single Hackney pony pleasure driving class. 1821 W. Scott I. xvii. 314 In this same mood did he occupy an honoured place near her, during her pleasure excursion on the Thames. 1888 July 19/1 Seeking a chain of wooded rivers in the unbroken wilderness..was something more than a pleasure excursion. 1995 68 492 Her personal odyssey across America's smoking battlefields was no pleasure excursion. 1872 30 July 14/1 (advt.) The estate is in a capital hunting country, well adapted for the preservation of game, and peculiarly eligible for pleasure farming. 1891 T. E. Kebbel 132 The age of pleasure-farming—of work and play combined..is gone for ever. 1952 31 May 12/6 (advt.) A few acres of land for small pleasure farming. 1869 June 711/1 To have, by golden circumstance, an everlasting pleasure feast provided, which shall include every thing that delights the sense and charms the intellect. 1882 May 279 Striving to prove mankind a cultured beast..Make life a wine-tinct, rose-crowned pleasure feast. 2004 (Nexis) 6 Feb. 1 Pleasure feasts will be held in a new hall that can handle up to 100 patrons. 1868 5 Aug. 4/2 The roadstead was crowded with yachts of every rig, and above all the pleasure fleet towered the greater outlines of Her Majesty's yacht. 1898 Oct. 911/1 The river is covered with boats—the pleasure-fleet of the Thames. 2001 (Nexis) 26 May 10 New measures that limit the use of an estimated 1,500 boat pleasure fleet on Dublin Bay. 1685 J. Mason (ed. 2) vi. 125 Look where his Saints assembled be, Thither you must Resort. For they his pleasure-Gardens are, Where he delights to be. 1712 J. James tr. A.-J. Dézallier d'Argenville (title page) Fine Gardens, commonly called Pleasure-Gardens. 1961 L. Mumford xiii. 379 Such pleasure gardens were popular everywhere that court life was visibly on parade: the famous Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen still bears witness to this. 2004 (Nexis) 30 Aug. 48 By the late nineteen-twenties, there were more than fifteen hundred wooden coasters (but very few loops) at piers and pleasure gardens and trolley parks. 1779 J. Meader (title) The Planter's Guide: or Pleasure Gardener's Companion. a1826 T. Jefferson (1856) 387 (Appendix) The gentleman, the architect, the pleasure gardener. 1969 25 Oct. p. vi/1 Pleasure gardeners..distort their physiques to use that unscientific implement the spade, and invite rheumatism by kneeling on damp soil. 1787 App. Chron. 304 Pleasure horses, ten shillings per head. 1895 Sept. 303/2 Time was when the American sole idea of a pleasure horse was a trotting horse. 1992 L. Coltelli 190 The horses that I know now are all saddle horses, pleasure horses. 1848 14 Feb. 11/1 (advt.) The meadows, which may be termed pleasure land, are on the rise. 1927 13 Sept. 12/2 Thirty years ago Piccadilly had still to establish its claim to be regarded as the centre of pleasure-land. 1984 12 Dec. 9/2 The five storey pleasure-land where shareholders will be able to eat, drink, gamble and dance until dawn. 1858 9 Aug. 6/6 The British pleasure navy..which have mustered here in great numbers. 1873 ‘Vanderdecken’ xxix. 247 There are not a few sea-lawyers to be met with amongst the pleasure navy Jacks. 2000 (Nexis) 31 May 69 My brother is in the merchant navy, my other brother is in the Royal Navy, but I'm in the pleasure navy. 1827 2 Apr. 2/2 Mr. Windham called these pleasure parks. 1904 R. J. Farrer 70 Here we may fancy known beings resting in this pleasure-park of necessity. 1998 14 Feb. (Time Off section) 9/2 I've always been highly sceptical of pleasure parks, so my heart sank when I saw the rows of unattractive cabins dotted around the forest. 1779 xxiii. 59 It was a long time confined to the pleasure parties of the great. 1873 C. G. Leland 21 The Afreet chose the season of the Equinoctial for their pleasure-party. 1966 B. Brophy 87 Quintessentially rococo, Pergolesi's style has the brilliant high spirits of a pleasure party. c1806 D. Wordsworth (1941) I. 351 It is not easy to see the use of a pleasure-path leading to nothing. 1897 Nov. 875/1 When completed, this grand driveway and pleasure path will be one hundred and eighty-two feet in width. 2004 (Nexis) 11 Aug. a21 The city has expended a great deal to provide bike lanes and pleasure paths. 1911 Jan. 57/1 The aspect of the heavens will be wonderfully changed when the pleasure-plane of the air has arrived. 2004 (Nexis) 22 Aug. 1 Turbo jets belonging to local developers, golf and hotel groups are housed alongside single-engine pleasure planes. 1856 E. B. Browning vi. 254 It is not wholesome for these pleasure-plats To be so early watered by our brine. 1837 12 Oct. 2/1 (advt.) Dover..bids fair to compete with Brighton as a pleasure resort. 1917 A. A. Chapin iv. 138 Richmond Hill did not escape! It too became a tavern, a pleasure resort, a ‘mead garden,’ a roadhouse—whatever you choose to call it. 1999 104 1349/2 Cuba had been a malarial death trap. How it became a health and pleasure resort is not fully explained. 1852 31 Aug. 2/5 Messrs. Tod and Macgregor, of Glasgow, have been selected to undertake the entire contract of building and fitting up this gorgeous pleasure ship. 1869 ‘M. Twain’ lvii. 609 When I travel again, I wish to go in a pleasure ship. 1997 G. Block ii. 43 The disastrous fire that took between 125 and 180 passenger's lives on the pleasure ship Morro Castle off the coast at Asbury Park, New Jersey. 1802 S. S. Moore & T. W. Jones 28 Tolls payable at this Bridge:..Pleasure sleigh, two horses, 13. a1813 J. H. St. J. de Crèvecoeur (1995) 65 The Pleasure slay..can Easily carry six Persons. 1869 W. C. Watson 322 The pleasure sleigh bounds along its smooth and crystal field, breaking the stillness by the music of its merry bells. 1999 (Nexis) 19 Dec. n1 An estate inventory..listed 205 English pounds in cash, plus cattle, horses, hogs, sheep, an old pleasure sleigh [etc.]. society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > pleasure vessel > [noun] > pleasure-steamer society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > mechanically propelled vessels > [noun] > propelled by steam engine > other steam vessels 1839 18 May 1/1 (advt.) Pleasure steamer wanted, for hire. 1872 B. Jerrold iv. 43 The river..bright with the trifles of cockleboats and pleasure-steamers. 1992 P. Robinson vi. 85 About to disembark, a pleasure steamer near the shore. 1842 5 Sept. 3/3 The Blackwall line is one which must for its revenue depend in a great measure upon pleasure traffic. 1967 D. D. Gladwin & J. M. White i. ii. 24 The canal still remains open for pleasure traffic. 2003 (Nexis) 14 Nov. Commercial vehicles are not pleasure traffic. 1845 14 Mar. 2/1 His chief object was to put a stop to those ‘pleasure trains,’ as they were called. 1850 Oct. 447/2 These pleasure trains, as they are called, quit Paris on Saturday..reaching London in the afternoon. 1973 7 666 The Woosung Railway..served little functional purpose; it was used basically as a pleasure train. 1849 6 Aug. (headline) Pleasure travel to the North and East. 1871 W. D. Howells vi. 135 They felt themselves once more part of the tide of mere sight-seeing pleasure-travel. 1988 Spring 4/1 These books were read and reread,..and used as a guide for pleasure-travel. 1846 C. Dickens 150 Pleasure-travellers through life. 1936 Aug. 247/2 An area that is not well known to the general run of pleasure-travellers. 1995 62 96 The increase in demand by pleasure travellers was only 5%. society > travel > aspects of travel > a journey > [noun] > excursion > for pleasure 1829 W. C. J. Lewin Autobiogr. in (1909) I. ii. 225 During our pleasure trip on shore he had been confined to the ship. 1926 13 May 3/6 The 20,000 ton R.M.S. steamer Otranto struck a rock on the way to the port of Athens... The Otranto is on a pleasure trip. 1984 T. Mallon (1985) ii. 62 He seems to have enjoyed himself, even if it was not strictly a pleasure trip. 1850 W. Phillips lxvi. 220 All complicated structure, a house, a railroad-car..a pleasure vehicle. 1916 H. G. Wells iii. 58 The more expensive sort of automobile had driven the bicycle as a pleasure vehicle off the roads. 1999 71 759 Tanks and airplanes quickly pushed pleasure vehicles off the assembly line. 1800 J. Charnock I. iii. 16 A small yacht or pleasure-vessel. 1906 J. Conrad 33 The writer praises that class of pleasure vessels, [sc. 52-foot linear raters] and I am willing to endorse his words. 2004 (Nexis) 10 Aug. 3 The safety bulletin recommends owners and skippers of all fishing, merchant and pleasure vessels to urgently review the lashing arrangements for liferafts. 1842 Oct. 393/2 The annual committee of investigation would not advise it, because they would lose the delights of their annual pleasure-visit and the profit of their daily pay. 1926 D. H. Lawrence xiv. 103 My lord Jonathan comes too early for a pleasure visit. 1982 12 Feb. 12/7 Any of them would serve for business or pleasure visits, but of course you pay for more central location and the extra amenities. 1745 J. Lawrence 54 Certain young Gentlemen of Bristol made a pleasure Voyage. 1814 W. Scott Gen. Pref. p. xxiii I have seldom felt more satisfaction than when, returning from a pleasure voyage, I found Waverley in the zenith of popularity. 1906 J. Conrad 39 For racing, a cutter; for a long pleasure voyage, a schooner; for cruising in home waters, the yawl. 2004 (Nexis) 18 Aug. 15 The Endeavour replica is seaworthy and embarks on pleasure voyages. 1727 J. G. Scheuchzer tr. E. Kæmpfer I. iv. vi. 339 This pleasure walk falls very expensive to us. 1851 J. Brown i. 109 Upon the edges of plantations through which pleasure-walks are made. 1994 R. Hendrickson 177 Paseo,..a pleasure walk or ride. 1727 J. G. Scheuchzer tr. E. Kæmpfer I. i. ii. 25 Peja Klahom, Steward of the Household, hath the command of the King's Servants, pleasure yachts, and the Royal furniture. 1847 C. Dickens (1848) xxiii. 238 As many spars and bars and bolts..as you'd want a [sic] order for on Chatham-yard to build a pleasure-yacht with. 1993 C. Smith I. 21 At evening when you look out at the docks, the polished pleasure yachts excite you still. b. Objective. (a) 1940 W. H. Auden 42 As a rule It was the pleasure-haters who became unjust. 2004 (Nexis) 10 Apr. 7 In the States the march of the pleasure-haters, an alliance between the politically correct Left and the fundamentalist Right, seems unstoppable. 1759 S. Fielding I. i. i. 2 At that Season when all Pleasure-hunters are following their Pursuits. 1833 J. S. Mill in 7 660 Few persons among the crowds of pleasure-hunters have diverged from the beaten track of the Rhine, Switzerland, and Italy. 1884 July 70/2 The busy idlers of the world—the pleasure hunters, the time-killers. 1992 78 1567/1 The mass of pleasure hunters..who shot hundreds of bison for what Parkman called ‘amusement.’ ?1790 6 Pleasure takers must have the same fate. 1855 J. R. Leifchild 34 Strange sightseers, and uproarious pleasure-takers. 1995 N. Harrison i. 83 Fantasy and sexual pleasure..do not exonerate the fantasizer and pleasure-taker from these sexual politics. (b) 1872 Nov. 540/2 A kindly, comely face, pleasure-making and pleasure-feeling. 1890 W. Donisthorpe xi. 378 A larger sum-total of pleasure-feeling sentient beings. 1995 Re: NYT: Female Genital Mutilation in sci.med (Usenet newsgroup) 15 June Female ‘circumcision’—a lame euphemism for removal of all pleasure-feeling parts. 1804 T. Dibdin ii. ii. 39 Her smiles more pleasure-giving. 1824 S. T. Coleridge Let. to T. Gillman in (1895) 731 You will have received another,..more amusing, at least pleasure-giving Scripture from me. 1998 71 1098 The author has turned the raw data of history into a pleasure-giving story. 1754 S. Fielding & J. Collier I. ii. 222 He gave a loose to his enjoying himself with the company of a woman..one of the most agreeable companions that 'tis possible for a pleasure-loving man to form. 1899 J. H. Smith xv. 242 Barcelona—proud, rich, and pleasure-loving. 1991 R. Goldstein iii. 39 My father was an exuberant, even pleasure-loving man, who knew well how to grasp the varieties of life's offering. 1797 Z. Cozens 56 Majestic stands this noble, modern pile, Scarce equall'd in our pleasure-taking isle. 1872 W. D. Howells vi. 159 He imagined for the agent the romance of a life spent at a watering-place, in contact with rich money-spending, pleasure-taking people. 1995 47 335 The people could see themselves no longer as a polity of citizens with rights and duties but as a pleasure-taking collectivity. 1805 458 It is by no means so prolific in its raree shews as the pleasure-trading Paris. 1873 A. P. Peabody xiv. 198 He represented pleasure as the supreme good, and its pleasure-yielding capacity as the sole criterion by which any act or habit is to be judged. 1965 F. Sargeson v. 108 The excitement of two..pleasure-yielding affairs. 2001 (Nexis) 21 Nov. b3 Smokers compensate by blocking the microscopic holes in the filter with their mouth or fingers and draw harder in order to inhale more of the pleasure-yielding contents. c. Instrumental, adverbial, etc. a1839 J. Smith Milk & Honey in (1840) 141 See sail to the Wells yonder pleasure-bound crew, All talk of Grimaldi, none think of Sir Hugh. 1873 E. J. Brennan 223 Pleasure-bound and peace-inspiring days. 1994 33 278 Technologies of sex did not repress..the intrinsic sexual drives of lazy, pleasure-bound, inefficient bodies. 1905 29 Sept. The perpetually lively, feather-brained, pleasure-crazed creature. 1932 23 July 12/2 It is not your idea..of a mad night on pleasure-crazed Broadway. 1999 (Nexis) 4 Jan. 6 Far from standing up for old ideas of masculinity against the monstrous regiments of feminism, Laddism was a pleasure-crazed capitulation to the sensual pleasures of infantilism. 1872 5 Sept. 7/6 Southampton Water forms the splendid bay on the north, in which our fleet has been lying during these happy, sunny, and pleasure-crowded days. 1906 B. von Hutten i. x. 73 The time that had seemed so long to her had quite naturally seemed to him, with his pleasure-crowded days, very short. 2001 Neighbors Complete in alt.sex.stories (Usenet newsgroup) 31 May She had but one thought in her pleasure crowded mind. 1860 G. J. Adler tr. C. C. Fauriel xii. 263 Corrupt and pleasure-greedy set of men [Fr. Pour les Franks, les Aquitains étaient des êtres vains, frivoles, corrompus, avides de plaisirs]. 1957 H. Osmond in 66 431 Homo faber, the cunning, ruthless, foolhardy, pleasure-greedy toolmaker. 1871 S. Drury 184 And I, a child of nature, too, have had My hour of blooming; tho' my years are brief, I've had my day of pastime, pleasure-mad. 1925 Oct. 373 It was exactly the kind of crowd which a dour philosopher might have described as typical of ‘pleasure-mad America’. 2000 (Nexis) 31 Jan. a3 Today, we are so brain-dead and pleasure mad that we don't realize our freedoms are being taken away. 1907 12 Oct. 4/7 Allah forfend, my pleasure-minded love, That aught shall harm thee in the Desert Lands. 2002 (Nexis) 1 June 36 New York's social system was dominated early on by a high-spending pleasure-minded acquisitive class devoted to material accumulation. 1798 W. Sotheby tr. C. M. Wieland vii. li. 232 Amanda scarce believes her pleasure-sparkling eye. a1843 R. Southey (1860) 225 And I was once like this! that glowing cheek Was mine, those pleasure-sparkling eyes. 1827 D. M. Moir iv Beside thee sleep or play Thy loveliest children, pleasure-tired, in the blue light of day. 1923 E. Wharton i. iii. 35 All the pleasure-tired faces, belonging to every type of money-getters and amusement-seekers. 1892 W. D. Howells xi. 209 One even less Ruskinian than I might have fancied that in the sculptured countenance could be seen the dismay of the pleasure-wasted harlot of the sea. C2. 1883 15 Oct. 2/1 (advt.) Nearly new pleasure brakes, vans, carts, and harness. 1908 12 Aug. 8/3 She was cycling along the Bromley-road when a pleasure-brake..turned out of a side-street. 1919 23 Sept. 20/2 (advt.) 12 pair horse garden-seated pleasure brakes. 1896 S. N. Patten iii. § 3. 61 Mankind has but recently developed out of a pain into a pleasure economy. 1910 W. James in Aug. 467 A permanently successful peace-economy cannot be a simple pleasure-economy. 1936 47 130 He is uniformly consistent in remembering his ultimate aim to be an adequate pleasure economy. the mind > mental capacity > psychology > study of emotions > pain or pleasure in mental state > [noun] 1894 J. E. Creighton & E. B. Titchener tr. W. M. Wundt xiv. 211 The reference of feeling to a subjective condition of pleasure-pain [Ger. einen subjektiven Zustand der Lust und Unlust]. 1897 H. G. Wells Under Knife in 107 It occurred to me that the real meaning of this numbness might be a gradual slipping away from the pleasure-pain guidance of the animal man. 1925 J. Riviere tr. S. Freud Papers on Metapsychol. in IV. 14 It is called the pleasure-pain (Lust-Unlust) principle, or more shortly the pleasure-principle. 1993 R. J. Waller iii. 24 He kept it vague, enigmatic, matching the drift of his own mind. ‘I'm fooling around with Jeremy Bentham's early work on the pleasure-pain calculus and its applications to problems of contemporary democracy.’ the mind > mental capacity > psychology > study of emotions > pain or pleasure in mental state > [noun] > drive to pleasure the mind > mental capacity > psychology > theory of psychoanalysis > theories of Freud > [noun] > search for pleasure 1856 P. E. Dove ix. 439 Society was constructed on the pleasure principle. Barbarous pleasures grew first, then refined pleasures, till at last the very corruption of manners necessitated a change. 1912 23 134 The sex impulses find no outlet before puberty. Until that time they remain under the control of the subconscious (pleasure principle). 1968 A. Laski xi. 133 Ralph's whole working life had been devoted to the pleasure principle. 1991 J. Rifkin v. xlii. 320 The ‘pleasure principle’ as Freud referred to it, is challenged by the ‘reality principle’. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2006; most recently modified version published online March 2022). pleasurev. Origin: Formed within English, by conversion. Etymon: pleasure n. Etymology: < pleasure n.With sense 1b compare earlier pleasuring n. 1. With sense 2 compare earlier please v. N.E.D.(1907) also gives the pronunciation (ple·ʒiŭɹ) /ˈplɛʒ(j)ʊə(r)/. 1. the mind > emotion > pleasure > be pleased [verb (intransitive)] > take pleasure 1538 in T. Wright (1843) 172 Surely his predecessours plesured moche in odoryferous savours. 1581 B. Rich i. sig. Diijv The Duke greately pleasuryng to heare the pretie aunswere of the Childe, replied in this wise. 1621 M. Wroth 557 What others gloryed and pleasured in, tortured her. 1649 W. Peaps v. ii You must put on a far more pleasing countenance That the Gods may pleasure in your offerings. 1807 R. Tannahill 123 Brutes are but brutes, let men be men, Nor pleasure in cock-fighting. 1882 Ld. Coleridge in 1 Feb. 234 There are some sports which appear to me so cruel and so unmanly, that I wonder very much how any one can pleasure in them. 1928 J. M. Peterkin 94 How-come you duh scour when evybody else is pleasurin? 1999 A. Wheatle 178 She pleasured in his strapping body bearing down upon her, and watched the sweat dripping off his ecstatic face. society > leisure > [verb (intransitive)] > keep or take holiday 1827 C. Lewin Let. 22 June in (1909) I. ii. 222 It is blowing now too hard for our boats to pleasure out. 2. the mind > emotion > pleasure > quality of being pleasant or pleasurable > please or give pleasure to [verb (transitive)] the world > physical sensation > sexual relations > sexual activity > engage in sexual activity with [verb (transitive)] > gratify sexually the world > physical sensation > sexual relations > sexual activity > engage in sexual activity with [verb (transitive)] > have sexual intercourse with 1556 R. Tottel in Magna Carta in 2 viii. 208 That obteined, I must nedes think my certain travail, adventured expenses, and al wherein otherwise I mai be able to pleasure you to be wel employed for ye behofe of such men. c1559 R. Hall lf. 34 b He ment to give definitive sentence against her to pleasure the kinge withall. 1563 2nd Tome Homelyes Almsdeeds i, in J. Griffiths (1859) ii. 387 [He] is both able to pleasure and displeasure us. c1616 R. C. (1871) vi. 2852 Silvius doth shew the citty dames brave sights, And they for that doe pleasure him a nightes. 1652 N. Culpeper 9 All Apples..pleasure the stomach by their coolness. 1702 J. Dennis 4 What I do is to pleasure you. 1720 4 Jan. Such as have a Mind to pleasure their Friends with it..per Post may have it every Monday a whole Sheet. 1764 S. Foote ii. 48 I am no churl; I love to pleasure my friends. 1836 C. Dickens (1837) vi. 55 The wall must be crumbled, the stone decayed, To pleasure his dainty whim. 1895 S. R. Crockett xiii ‘Walter, will you not pleasure us with your company to-night?’ 1928 N. Shepherd xiv. 187 Ye'll hae to pleesure her. It canna be for long. a1967 J. R. Ackerley (1968) xii. 124 We entered together, quickly unbuttoned and pleasured each other. 1975 9 May 503/1 Her first love, who took her to tea-dances..and pleasured her regularly at home on the brocade couch. 1996 Sept. 20/2 He was required in one scene to stroll around stark bollock naked while a couple of busty vampire dykes pleasured each other on a plush velvet carpet. the mind > emotion > pleasure > take pleasure or enjoy oneself [verb (reflexive)] a1640 J. Fletcher et al. Queene of Corinth iii. i, in F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher (1647) sig. Bbbbbb2/1 One that hath, As people say, in forraigne pleasur'd him. 1644 P. Francis sig. B4 Which the Cavaliers make pernicious use of against those petitions he likewise pleasured himself thereby. 1764 S. Eaton iii. 61 They had been feasting and pleasuring themselves together. ?1785 S. Freeman (ed. 3) i. 33 When women..shall betray no inclination to venereal embraces..; to what other cause can impute it, but their being capable of pleasuring themselves in this private way? 1841 R. Browning Pippa Passes iv, in 14/1 To pleasure myself apart from other considerations, my food would be millet-cake, my dress sackcloth, and m,y couch straw. 1867 ‘Ouida’ III. iv. 91 If a man wants to get shot as a very great favour, I always let him pleasure himself. 1908 C. W. Wallace ix. 112 Elizabeth intended the establishment of the Children of her Chapel as actors at Blackfriars..to pleasure herself and entertain the Court. 1938 M. K. Rawlings x. 89 ‘I'll bet we kin ketch us a cattywampus in one o' them ponds.’ ‘We kin sure pleasure ourselves tryin'.’ 1996 July 14/3 It..illustrated it with a picture of a model apparently pleasuring herself on one of the great man's high-backed chairs. the mind > emotion > pleasure > quality of being pleasant or pleasurable > please or give pleasure [verb] 1937 R. S. Morton xxxi. 346 A young carpenter said to me, ‘It would not pleasure me if I could not see the cypress greening in the spring.’ 1951 L. Craig xiii. 124 It pleasures us a sight that you would come to see us. 1970 12 Sept. 109/3 It pleasured him to see the smoke. 1996 (Nexis) Summer 11 She said it pleasured her to be a waitress, and it mattered to her to keep her station clean. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2006; most recently modified version published online March 2022). <  n.a1393 v.1538 |
