pleasure ground
- noun
- /ˈplɛʒər ɡraʊnd/
- Archaic
- Children played all day at the pleasure ground, enjoying the rides and games.
Examples
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The amusement park was a popular pleasure ground for families during the summer break.
-
What makes Silver Lake a pleasure ground for hipsters?
Blog text (18) -
This peak is the city's summer resort and pleasure ground.
Blog text (22) -
Sandy Hook, New Jersey, is one of New York Harbor's mellower pleasure grounds.
Academic text (2004) -
After centuries as a venue for fishing and fowling, the pond became at once a pleasure ground for Bostonians, a prolific source of ice for export to world markets, and a public water supply.
Blog text (24) -
Gainsborough, who was very probably part of the team Francis Hayman had assembled to decorate the supper boxes at Vauxhall Gardens, had a long familiarity with those pleasure grounds.
Academic text (1998) -
Visitors flock to the seaside pleasure ground to enjoy the attractions and beautiful views.
Synonyms
A large public area with grass and trees for people to relax
A large outdoor place with rides, shows, and games for fun
A park with rides and shows based on one story or idea
A place where people go in their free time to have fun, for example to ski
A place with games, rides, and fun activities for children and families, like an amusement park
A public place for sports and other fun activities
A public place or building where people play sports and enjoy leisure activities
A temporary event with rides and games for people to enjoy
How Entertaining
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a park or area for public amusement' is directly and predictably built from 'pleasure' (enjoyment) + 'ground(s)' (land), so a learner who knows both words can infer it refers to land set aside for enjoyment. This compositional pattern is common cross-linguistically and follows normal noun + noun compounding, so it is transparent to a B1 learner.
Etymology
The phrase pleasure ground comes from old public parks made for fun, where a piece of ground had music, games and food to give pleasure to visitors. So it means 'a park or place with amusements'.