pleasaunt

Pleasaunt is an archaic or regional spelling of the modern English word pleasant. It was used in Middle English and Early Modern English to mean agreeable, pleasing, or delightful. Today, pleasaunt survives mainly in historical texts, older poetry, and in some place names or toponymic forms that preserve older spellings. The contemporary spelling is pleasant.

Etymology and linguistic notes: pleasaunt derives from the same root as pleasant, which comes from Old French plaisant, ultimately from Latin placere, “to please.” The variant pleasaunt reflects historical orthography and pronunciation patterns that varied before standardized spelling became common. In modern English, the spelling has been largely abandoned outside scholarly, literary, or archaic contexts.

Usage and legacy: As a word, pleasaunt has become archaic in everyday use. It is encountered in historical documents, literary quotations, and discussions of older English language stages. In some cases, pleasaunt or its variant pleasanse has influenced place names or talked-of spaces described as pleasant or agreeable, though these are typically historical or literary references rather than contemporary terms. The related form pleasance, and the modern derivative pleasure, continue to appear in both common and specialized contexts.

See also: pleasant, pleasance, toponymy of archaic spellings.