JOY
joy, delight, pleasure
(noun) something or someone that provides a source of happiness; “a joy to behold”; “the pleasure of his company”; “the new car is a delight”
joy, joyousness, joyfulness
(noun) the emotion of great happiness
gladden, joy
(verb) make glad or happy
rejoice, joy
(verb) feel happiness or joy
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
From the noun joy, first used by Puritans in the 17th century.
Proper noun
Joy
A female given name from English.
A surname.
Etymology 1
Noun
joy (countable and uncountable, plural joys)
A feeling of extreme happiness or cheerfulness, especially related to the acquisition or expectation of something good.
Anything that causes such a feeling.
Luck or success; a positive outcome.
(obsolete) The sign or exhibition of joy; gaiety; merriment; festivity.
Antonyms
• (feeling of happiness): infelicity, joylessness, unhappiness, unjoy
Etymology 2
Verb
joy (third-person singular simple present joys, present participle joying, simple past and past participle joyed)
(intransitive) To feel joy, to rejoice.
(transitive, archaic) To enjoy.
(transitive, obsolete) To give joy to; to congratulate.
(transitive, obsolete) To gladden; to make joyful; to exhilarate.
Source: Wiktionary
Joy, n. Etym: [OE. joye, OF. joye, joie, goie, F. joie, L. gaudia,
pl. of gaudium joy, fr. gaudere to rejoice, to be glad; cf. Gr. Gaud,
Jewel.]
1. The passion or emotion excited by the acquisition or expectation
of good; pleasurable feelings or emotions caused by success, good
fortune, and the like, or by a rational prospect of possessing what
we love or desire; gladness; exhilaration of spirits; delight.
Her heavenly form beheld, all wished her joy. Dryden.
Glides the smooth current of domestic joy. Johnson.
Who, for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross,
despising the shame. Heb. xii. 2.
Tears of true joy for his return. Shak.
Joy is a delight of the mind, from the consideration of the present
or assured approaching possession of a good. Locke.
2. That which causes joy or happiness.
For ye are our glory and joy. 1 Thess. ii. 20.
A thing of beauty is a joy forever. Keats.
3. The sign or exhibition of joy; gayety; mirth; merriment;
festivity.
Such joy made Una, when her knight she found. Spenser.
The roofs with joy resound. Dryden.
Note: Joy is used in composition, esp. with participles, to from many
self-explaining compounds; as, joy-hells, joy-ringing, joy-inspiring,
joy-resounding, etc.
Syn.
– Gladness; pleasure; delight; happiness; exultation; transport;
felicity; ecstasy; rapture; bliss; gayety; mirth; merriment;
festivity; hilarity.
Joy, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Joyed; p. pr. & vb. n. Joying.] Etym: [OF.
joir, F. jouir. See Joy, n.]
Definition: To rejoice; to be glad; to delight; to exult.
I will joy in the God of my salvation. Hab. iii. 18.
In whose sight all things joy. Milton.
Joy, v. t.
1. To give joy to; to congratulate. [Obs.] "Joy us of our conquest."
Dryden.
To joy the friend, or grapple with the foe. Prior.
2. To gladden; to make joyful; to exhilarate. [Obs.]
Neither pleasure's art can joy my spirits. Shak.
3. To enjoy. [Obs.] See Enjoy.
Who might have lived and joyed immortal bliss. Milton.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition