Jollity
/ˈdʒɒl.ə.ti/noun
Cheerful, lively, and exuberant merriment.
Did you know?The deeper origin of jolly and jollity is uncertain, but some scholars have proposed a connection with Old Norse jól, the midwinter festival that contributed to modern “Yule.”
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic (possible root)
Germanic
*jeul- / *jōl-
“A proposed ancestral form associated with a midwinter festival; the connection is uncertain.”
Old Norse
Old Norse
jól
“The midwinter festival later known in English as Yule.”
12th–13th Century
Old French
joli / jolif
“Merry, festive, pleasant, or pretty; the immediate source proposed for English jolly.”
14th Century
Middle English
jolite / jolité
“Merriment, cheerfulness, or festive enjoyment.”
15th Century
English
jollity
“Lively happiness, merriment, or joyous behavior.”
Modern English
English
jollity
“Exuberant cheerfulness and high-spirited merriment.”