felicitat

Felicitat is the Catalan noun for happiness or well-being. It describes a state of contentment or positive affect and is used in everyday speech as well as in discussions of life satisfaction, welfare, and quality of life in Catalan-speaking contexts. In common usage, phrases such as “buscar la felicitat” (to seek happiness) or references to someone’s felicitat appear in literature, media, and social discourse.

Etymology and linguistic notes: Felicitat derives from the Latin felicitas, meaning “fruitfulness” or “good fortune.” Through historical development in Catalan, the word acquired the abstract-noun suffix -itat to denote the concept of happiness or well-being. It is related to other Romance-language terms that express similar ideas of well-being.

Scope and usage: The concept encompasses emotional happiness as well as a broader sense of welfare or life satisfaction. In philosophy, sociology, and public discourse, felicitat is often discussed alongside subjective well-being and happiness economics, reflecting how people evaluate their lives and environments. The term is also embedded in cultural expressions and everyday conversations about life goals and contentment.

Related terms: In related Romance languages, equivalents include felicidad in Spanish, felicità in Italian, and félicité in French. In English, the closest cognate is felicity. The Catalan verb for being happy is feliç, and the noun felicitat is used to refer to the state described by that adjective.