jovial
pronunciation
How to pronounce jovial in British English:
UK [ˈdʒəʊviəl]
How to pronounce jovial in American English:
US [ˈdʒoʊviəl]
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- Adjective:
- full of or showing high-spirited merriment
Word Origin
- jovial
- jovial: [16] Etymologically, jovial simply means ‘born under the influence of the planet Jupiter’. It comes via French from Italian gioviale, a derivative of Giove ‘Jupiter’, which itself goes back to the Latin stem Jov- (from which English also gets Jove [14], as in by Jove!). Jupiter was thought of as endowing those born under its sign with happiness, and so by extension jovial came to mean ‘jolly, good-humoured’. The word Jupiter [13] itself represents a Latin compound of Jov- and pater ‘father’.
- jovial (adj.)
- 1580s, "under the influence of the planet Jupiter," from Middle French jovial (16c.), from Italian joviale, literally "pertaining to Jupiter," and directly from Latin Iovialis "of Jupiter," from Iovius (used as genitive of Iuppiter) "Jupiter," Roman god of the sky (see Jove). The meaning "good-humored, merry," is from astrological belief that those born under the sign of the planet Jupiter are of such dispositions. Related: Jovially.
Synonym
Antonym
Example
- 1. I was in a jovial mood yesterday .
- 2. Amidst the drumbeats and jovial chants , time passed .
- 3. Like , if they were basically an optimistic , jovial person .
- 4. Richard ...... beheld the jovial friar on his knees , telling his rosary .
- 5. Locals and tourists take part in a little jovial punishment of british