LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
English → Latin

“enjoy” in Latin

Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864

enjoy
frui, perfrui (aliqua re; the latter implying a continued enjoyment): voluptatem capere or percipere ex aliqua re (receive pleasure from; percipere with the same implied notion as perfrui): oblectari aliqua re: oblectari et duci aliqua re (am amused with, fond of, etc.): delectari aliqua re: delectatione alicujus rei duci: duci et delectari aliqua re (delectari of positive delight; oblectari rather of amusement and comparative satisfaction, that makes time pass pleasantly): gaudere aliqua re: laetari aliqua re. gaudium or laetitiam capere ex re (rejoice at anything). ☞ Frui, etc., must not be used except where there is a felt sense of pleasure; hence, to enjoy good health, prospera valetudine uti (not frui); valetudinis prosperitate uti; integra esse valetudine: to enjoy prosperity, success, felicitate uti (e.g., perpetua quadam felicitate usus est, Cic.). To enjoy a long peace, diutina pace frui (Nep.); pleasure, voluptate frui: percipere voluptatem; laetitia perfrui (Cic.); gaudio frui (Terentianus); gaudium haurire (Liv.): leisure, tranquillity, glory, otio, tranquillitate, gloria perfrui: to enjoy consideration and the glory of his past services, perfrui auctoritate rerumque gestarum gloria (Cic.); advantages, commodis frui; the pleasures of life, vitae jucunditatibus (voluptatibus) frui, perfrui: to enjoy these delights, his gaudiis perfrui: to enjoy a person, or a person’s company, aliquo or alicujus consuetudine frui.
To ENJOY ONE’S SELF (absolutely), se oblectare. I enjoyed myself tolerably well in my Cuman villa, ego in Cumano... satis commode me oblectabam (Cic.).

Quick answer

What is the Latin word for enjoy?
The usual Latin words for “enjoy” are fruor, perfruor, gaudium. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.