JOVIAL

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


Etymology

Adjective

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.

Noun

Jovial (plural Jovials)

(chiefly, science fiction) An inhabitant of the planet Jupiter; a Jovian.

Etymology

Adjective

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



RESET




Word of the Day

22 December 2024

SUNGLASSES

(noun) (plural) spectacles that are darkened or polarized to protect the eyes from the glare of the sun; “he was wearing a pair of mirrored shades”


coffee icon

Coffee Trivia

Coffee starts as a yellow berry, changes into a red berry, and then is picked by hand to harvest. The red berry is de-shelled through a water soaking process and what’s left inside is the green coffee bean. This bean then dries in the sun for 3-5 days, where it is then packed and ready for sale.

coffee icon