Etymograph

English

delect

Delect comes from Latin delectō ‘to delight, charm, please’, and goes back to lactō.

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElactō1
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdelectō2as dēlectāre‘to delight, charm, please’
  3. Englishearliest quotation 1510delect2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin delecto
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English delect
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1510, Andrew Chertsey, London: […] Wynkyn de Worde: “For they were gretely delected and enioyed togiders”.

Earlier history not traced here. See Wiktionary.

Lineage

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElactōWiktionary, Latin delecto
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdelectōWiktionary, English delectas dēlectāre‘to delight, charm, please’
  3. Englishearliest quotation 1510delectWiktionary, English delect. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1510, Andrew Chertsey, London: […] Wynkyn de Worde: “For they were gretely delected and enioyed togiders”

Linked words

through Latin lactō

lactate, 5 more

through Latin delectō ‘to delight, charm, please’

dilettante, 3 more

Today it means

verb To delight.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “delect”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin delecto. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Latin lactō / delect

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