gay, jocund, jolly, jovial, merry, mirthful
(adjective) full of or showing high-spirited merriment; “when hearts were young and gay”; “a poet could not but be gay, in such a jocund company”- Wordsworth; “the jolly crowd at the reunion”; “jolly old Saint Nick”; “a jovial old gentleman”; “have a merry Christmas”; “peals of merry laughter”; “a mirthful laugh”
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Jovial (not comparable)
(astronomy, obsolete) Pertaining to the planet Jupiter; Jovian.
(Roman mythology, obsolete) Pertaining to the Roman god Jove or Jupiter (the counterpart of the Greek god Zeus), the god of the sky and thunder and the king of the gods; Jovian.
Jovial (plural Jovials)
(chiefly, science fiction) An inhabitant of the planet Jupiter; a Jovian.
jovial (comparative more jovial, superlative most jovial)
(comparable) Cheerful and good-humoured; jolly, merry.
Synonym: Thesaurus:happy
Antonyms: saturnine, Thesaurus:sad
(not comparable, astrology, obsolete) Pertaining to the astrological influence of the planet Jupiter; having the characteristics of a person under such influence (see sense 1).
Source: Wiktionary
Jo"vi*al, a. Etym: [F., fr. L. Jovialis pertaining to Jove. The planet Jupiter was thought to make those born under it joyful or jovial. See Jove.]
1. Of or pertaining to the god, or the planet, Jupiter. [Obs.] Our jovial star reigned at his birth. Shak. The fixed stars astrologically differenced by the planets, and esteemed Martial or Jovial according to the colors whereby they answer these planets. Sir T. Browne.
2. Sunny; serene. [Obs.] "The heavens always joviall." Spenser.
3. Gay; merry; joyous; jolly; mirth-inspiring; hilarious; characterized by mirth or jollity; as, a jovial youth; a jovial company; a jovial poem. Be bright and jovial among your guests. Shak. His odes are some of them panegyrical, others moral; the rest are jovial or bacchanalian. Dryden.
Note: This word is a relic of the belief in planetary influence. Other examples are saturnine, mercurial, martial, lunatic, etc.
Syn.
– Merry; joyous; gay; festive; mirthful; gleeful; jolly; hilarious.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
23 April 2024
(noun) (Roman Catholic Church) an antiphon (usually from the Book of Psalms) immediately after the epistle at Mass
The word “coffee” entered the English language in 1582 via the Dutch “koffie,” borrowed from the Ottoman Turkish “kahve,” borrowed in turn from the Arabic “qahwah.” The Arabic word qahwah was traditionally held to refer to a type of wine.
