LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
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“pleasure” in Latin

The English word pleasure itself goes back to Latin plācō, through placeō.

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

pleasure
Gratification, delight, delectatio, oblectatio (in active or passive sense): delectamentum, oblectamentum (a pleasing object, source of pleasure): deliciae, plur. (that which delights the mind or senses by agreeable excitement): voluptas (enjoyment, delight, of mind or body, in good or bad sense): Pleasures of sense, voluptates (corporis, Cic.); voluptates corporales (Sen.; ☞ not corporeae = having a body): your letter gave me great pleasure, ex epistola voluptatem cepi, accepi; gratae, jucundae mihi litterae fuerunt: with pleasure, cum voluptate, libenter: to give one’s self up to pleasure, indulgere voluptati; se dedere voluptatibus; se dare jucunditati voluptates captare.
Liking, what the will dictates, libido (desire): arbitrium (will, inclination). To find pleasure in anything, libidinem habere in re (Sall., Cat., 7, 4); gaudere aliqua re (to delight in anything; Vid: Hor., A; P., 162 sq.): delectari aliqua re, voluptatem or oblectationem capere ex re (to delight in, to enjoy anything): amare aliquid (to love): adamare aliquid (to conceive an affection for): to take no pleasure in anything, rem nolle, improbare; a re abhorrere: to do a pleasure to anyone, gratificari, morem gerere alicui (to comply with, to gratify): obsequi alicui or alicujus voluntati (to fall in with anybody’s will from inclination): to do anything for anybody’s pleasure, alicui aliquid gratificari; dare, tribuere alicui (alicui rei) aliquid (see Cortte, Cic., Ep., 4, 5, 16; Herzog, Caes., B.G., 6, 1); and so “for anybody’s pleasure” is frequently rendered in Latin by a simple dative; e.g., I do this for his pleasure, ei hoc do, tribuo: for his pleasure, ejus gratia (☞ in ejus gratiam is not classical): at one’s pleasure, suo commodo (at one’s convenience): ad libidinem, ex libidine (according to one’s humor or will): arbitrio suo, ad arbitrium suum (as one likes; ☞ ad placitum, ad bene placitum, ad voluntatem, are not Latin): at my pleasure, ad arbitrium nostrum libidinemque: to live at one’s pleasure, sibi indulgere (to indulge one’s self).
Anything done agreeably to one’s will, officium (service): beneficium (benefit). To do a pleasure to anybody, gratum alicui facere; (more strongly) gratissimum, pergratum, percommode alicui facere; optatissimum alicui beneficium offerre (unasked, Caes., B.G., 6, 42, extr.): you have done me a very great pleasure in that, gratissimum illud mihi fecisti: you cannot do me a greater pleasure, nihil est quod gratius mihi facere possis; hoc mihi gratius nihil facere potes: if you will do me a pleasure, si me amas (as a form of entreaty, in common life; Vid: Heindorf, Hor., Sat., 1, 9, 38): it will be a pleasure to me, hoc mihi gratum erit.

Quick answer

What is the Latin word for pleasure?
The usual Latin words for “pleasure” are dēlectātiō, oblectātiō, dēlectāmentum; also oblectāmentum, dēliciae, voluptās. 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.