Word of the Day

Jolly

December 17, 2021

jolly

jol-ly / jƏl-ē

adjective 1.  merry; full of good spirits The main reason Santa is so jolly is because he knows where all the bad girls live. George Carlin, 1937 – 2008 2. exhibiting or causing a feeling of good cheer; festive Have a holly, jolly Christmas; And when you walk down the street Say Hello to friends you know and everyone you meet Lyrics from “A Holly Jolly Christmas” by Johnny Marks, 1909 – 1985 3. very enjoyable I believe that God put us in this jolly world to be happy and enjoy life.  Robert Baden-Powell, 1857 - 1941 adverb 1. (primarily British) very; extremely Oh, for a nook and a story-book, With tales both new and old; For a jolly good book whereon to look Is better to me than gold. “A Jolly Good Book” poem, unknown noun 1. (primarily British) a celebration; a good time Bragging about skiving off work to go on a jolly or making a joke out of being late for work for the third time in a week doesn’t really scream star employee!  Sophie Deering, “The 10 Worst Things to Post on Social Media as a Job Seeker”, ‘Undercover Recruiter’, www.theundercoverrecruiter.com/worst-job-seeker-social-media, accessed December 10, 2021 2. jollies, (slang) a feeling of enjoyment and excitement We all get our jollies one way or another. "The Man with the Golden Gun Quotes." Quotes.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2021. Web. 9 Dec. 2021. verb 1. to keep someone cheerful and in good spirits, often for one’s own purposes We must be careful that our worship doesn’t become about jollying us up, or making us feel better – that isn’t real, and misses the point of who it’s for. www.thesanctuarycentre.org/resources/about-still-i-come.pdf 2. to tease or banter in a good-natured way Now. stop Jollying us and tell us what you did really see—please," he begged. Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.), 04 Feb. 1908. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83009653/1908-02-04/ed-1/seq-1/ etymology From the Old French adjective jolif (festive, merry, pretty), which may be related to the Old Norse noun jol (winter feast), or it might come from the same root , gau, as the semi-deponent Latin verb gaudeo. gaudere, gauisus sum (rejoice, be glad, be pleased, delight, please). Thank you to Allen Ward for the etymology of jolly.
View Word of the Day Archive →