jolly
adjectivenounadverbverbcommon in dialogue
- United Kingdom//ˈd͡ʒɒli//
- United States//ˈd͡ʒɑli//
Full of merriment and high spirits; jovial; joyous; merry.
adjective
- 1
Full of merriment and high spirits; jovial; joyous; merry.
"Full jolly Knight he seemed […] full large of limb and every joint / He was, and cared not for God or man a point."
"A jolly place," said he, "in times of old! / But something ails it now: the spot is curst. ..."
[…] he is swelled into jolly dimensions by frequent potations of malt liquors […]
- 2
datedSplendid, excellent, pleasant.
Jo silently notices how white and small her hand is and what a jolly servant she must be to wear such sparkling rings.
- 3
informalDrunk.
Etymology
From Middle English joli, jolif (“merry, cheerful”), from Old French joli, jolif (“merry, joyful”). For the loss of final -f in English, compare tardy, hasty, hussy, etc. It is uncertain whether the Old French word is from Old Norse jól ("a midwinter feast, Yule", hence "fest-ive"), in which case, equivalent to yule + -ive, compare Dutch jolig (“happy, festive, frolicsome, jolly”), West Frisian joelich, joalich (“merry, jolly”), Middle High German jœlich (“hooting, jubilant”). Alternatively, the Old French adjective has been conjectured to derive from a Vulgar Latin *gaudivus (from Latin gaudeō, more at joy), in which case it would require Early Old French ⟨d⟩ /ð/ to irregularly become ⟨l⟩ in jolif rather than being dropped, which is the usual case (alternatively, /l/ may be a hiatus filler inserted into expected *joïf). A possible parallel of ⟨d⟩ to ⟨l⟩ can be seen in the French name Valois, according to one hypothesis from Latin Vadensis, though this origin is itself uncertain and disputed.
noun
- 1
A pleasure trip or excursion; especially, an expenses-paid or unnecessary one.
If you know what it means to be a “fidlet” going for a “jolly” in your “doo”, then you are part of an exclusive club that speaks colloquial Antarctic English.
- 2
datedA marine in the English navy.
I'm a Jolly — 'Er Majesty's Jolly — soldier an' sailor too!
- 3
archaicA word of praise, or favorable notice.
'We just need to chuck him a jolly.' 'I beg your pardon?' said Faber. 'Chuck a jolly... you know! Get people on the street talking about how amazing the show is! Tell them the tickets are sold out for the next two weeks.'
- 4
Variant of jolly boatEllipsis of jolly boat.
Indeed it is nearly impossible to conceive how the small jolly they were in could have escaped destruction for a single instant.
adverb
- 1
datedVery, extremely.
It’s jolly hot in here, isn’t it?
“Put these on,” said Carrot firmly, anticipating resistance. “What is it?” said Catweazle in horror. “Coms. Combinations. A vest and long pants all in one,” explained Carrot. “They're jolly warm.”
He'll think about paint and he'll think about glue / What a jolly boring thing to do
Adrian thought it worth while to try out his new slang. ‘I say, you fellows, here's a rum go. Old Biffo was jolly odd this morning. He gave me a lot of pi-jaw about slacking and then invited me to tea. No rotting! He did really.’
verb
- 1
To amuse or divert.
- 2
archaicTo praise or talk up.
I do not believe in 'jollying' and 'soft soaping' a man when his work is really bad.
Forms
- plural
- jollies
- comparative
- jollier, more jolly
- superlative
- jolliest, most jolly
- past tense
- jollied
- past participle
- jollied
- present participle
- jollying
- third person singular
- jollies
jolly · Full of merriment and high spirits; jovial; joyous; merry.
Jolly · A female given name.Jon · A male given name from Hebrew, variant of John.Jonah · A male given name from Hebrew.