different between approve vs delight

English

Pronunciation

• (General American, Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /??p?u?v/
• Rhymes: -u?v

Etymology 1

From Middle English aproven, appreoven, appreven, apreven, borrowed from Old French aprover, approver, approuvir, appreuver (“to approve”), from Latin approb?, from ad + prob? (“to esteem as good, approve, prove”). Compare prove, approbate.

Verb

approve (third-person singular simple present approves, present participle approving, simple past and past participle approved)

1. (transitive) To officially sanction; to ratify; to confirm; to set as satisfactory.

2. (transitive) To regard as good or suitable; to commend; to be pleased with; to think well of.

3. (transitive, archaic) To make proof of; to demonstrate; to prove or show practically.
   • 1848, Thomas Babington Macaulay, The History of England from the Accession Of James II

     He had approved himself a great warrior.

   • 1844, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Essays: Second Series

     Opportunities to approve […] worth.

   • 1812-1818, Lord Byron, Child Harolde's Piligrimage

     'T is an old lesson; Time approves it true.

   • 1764, Horace Walpole, The Castle of Otranto, III:

     He had long burned with impatience to approve his valour.

4. (intransitive, followed by "of") To consider worthy (to); to be pleased (with); to accept.
   • 2016, Mitski, Your Best American Girl

     Your mother wouldn't approve of how my mother raised me. But I do, I think I do. And you're an all-American boy

   • 1995, The Verve, A Northern Soul

     Dad didn't approve of me, do you? I'm alive with something inside of me.

   • 1848, Thomas Babington Macaulay, The History of England from the Accession Of James II

     They had not approved of the deposition of James.

   • 1758, Jonathan Swift, The History of the Four Last Years of the Queen

     Their address was in the most dutiful manner, approving of what her majesty had done toward a peace, and dissolve her parliament

5. (archaic, transitive, usually with a reflexive pronoun) To show to be worthy; to demonstrate the merits of.
   • a. 1729, John Rogers, The Duty and Advantageous of Trust in God

     The first care and concern must be to approve himself to God.

Derived terms

Translations

Etymology 2

From Middle English approuen, approven, from Old French aprouer; a- + a form apparently derived from the pro, prod, in Latin pr?sum (“be useful or profitable”). Compare with improve.

Verb

approve (third-person singular simple present approves, present participle approving, simple past and past participle approved)

1. (transitive, law, English law) To make profit of; to convert to one's own profit — said especially of waste or common land appropriated by the lord of the manor.

References

• approve in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.

English

Etymology

An unetymological spelling, in imitation of words like light, might, etc.; the analogical modern spelling would be delite; from Middle English delite, from Old French deleiter, deliter, from Latin delectare (“to delight, please”), frequentative of delicere (“to allure”); see delectation and delicate.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /d??la?t/, /d??la?t/
• Rhymes: -a?t

Noun

delight (countable and uncountable, plural delights)

1. Joy; pleasure.
   • 1611, King James Version of the Bible, Proverbs 18.2,^[1]

     A fool hath no delight in understanding.

   • c. 1611, William Shakespeare, The Tempest, Act III, Scene 2,^[2]

     […] the isle is full of noises,

     Sounds and sweet airs, that give delight and hurt not.

   • For more quotations using this term, see Citations:delight.
2. Something that gives great joy or pleasure.
   • 1580, Greensleeves,

     Greensleeves was all my joy / Greensleeves was my delight, […]

   • 1667, John Milton, Paradise Lost, Book 5, lines 17-19,^[3]

     […] Awake

     My fairest, my espous’d, my latest found,

     Heav’ns last best gift, my ever new delight,

   • For more quotations using this term, see Citations:delight.

Derived terms

• undelight
• delightful

Translations

Verb

delight (third-person singular simple present delights, present participle delighting, simple past and past participle delighted)

1. To give delight to; to affect with great pleasure; to please highly.
   • 1842, Tennyson, Le Morte d’Arthur:

     Delight our souls with talk of knightly deeds.

   • For more quotations using this term, see Citations:delight.

2. (intransitive) To have or take great pleasure.
   • c. 1515–1516, published 1568, John Skelton, Again?t venemous tongues enpoy?oned with ?claunder and fal?e detractions &c.:

     A ?claunderous tunge, a tunge of a ?kolde,
     Worketh more mi?chiefe than can be tolde;
     That, if I wi?t not to be controlde,
     Yet ?omwhat to ?ay I dare well be bolde,
     How ?ome delite for to lye, thycke and threfolde.

   • 1580, Greensleeves:

     For I have loved you well and long, / Delighting in your company.

   • 1908, T.J. Griffths, The Cambrian (volume 28, page 504)

     He was an eisteddfodwr and delighted to hear good singing, whether it was in the sanctuary or at the eisteddfodic gatherings.

Derived terms

• delight in
• duping delight

Related terms

• delicacy
• delicate
• delicatessen
• delicious

Translations

Further reading

• delight in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• delight in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.

Anagrams

• gildeth, glideth, lighted