jouissance

enjoyment, pleasure; legal possession

noun zhoo-ee-SAHNS Rare

Usage Note

Jouissance has two distinct registers: in everyday speech it means intense enjoyment or delight, while in legal French it specifically means the right to use and enjoy property (jouissance d'un bien). In literary and psychoanalytic discourse (especially Lacan) it carries a specialized philosophical sense. The verb is jouir, and the related noun joie is less intense.

Examples

"Il éprouvait une vraie jouissance à peindre."

Natural Translation

He felt genuine pleasure in painting.

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