jovial

English

Etymology

Borrowed from French jovial (“jolly, jovial”), from Italian gioviale (“jolly, jovial; (obsolete) born under the influence of the planet Jupiter”), from Latin ioviālis (“relating to the Roman god Jupiter”), from Iuppiter, Iovis (“the Roman god Jove or Jupiter, counterpart of the Greek god Zeus”) (from Proto-Indo-European *dyew- (“to be bright; heaven, sky”)) + -ālis (suffix forming adjectives of relationship); analysable as Jove +‎ -ial.

Sense 1 (“cheerful and good-humoured”) refers to the fact that individuals born under the astrological influence of the planet Jupiter were believed to have that disposition.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈd͡ʒəʊ.vɪ.əl/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈd͡ʒoʊ.vɪ.əl/
• (Appalachians, archaic) IPA^(key): /ˈd͡ʒoʊ.vəl/

• Audio (GA)

  (file)

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

• Hyphenation: jov‧i‧al

Adjective

jovial (comparative more jovial, superlative most jovial)

1. (comparable) Cheerful and good-humoured; jolly, merry.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:happy

   Antonyms: saturnine; see also Thesaurus:sad

   • 1593, Gabriel Harvey, Pierces Supererogation: Or A New Prayse of the Old Asse, London: Iohn Wolfe, →OCLC; republished as John Payne Collier, editor, Pierces Supererogation: Or A New Prayse of the Old Asse. A Preparative to Certaine Larger Discourses, Intituled Nashes S. Fame (Miscellaneous Tracts. Temp. Eliz. & Jac. I; no. 8), , 1870], →OCLC, page 161:

     A melancholy boddy is not the kindeſt nurſe for a chearely minde, (the joviall complexion is ſoverainly beholding to nature,) […]

   • 1624, Democritus Junior [pseudonym; Robert Burton], “Democritvs Ivnior to the Reader”, in The Anatomy of Melancholy: , 2nd edition, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Printed by John Lichfield and James Short, for Henry Cripps, →OCLC, page 57:

     The moſt ſecure, happy, Ioviall & merry in the worlds eſteeme, are Princes & great men, free from melancholy, but for their cares, miſeries, ſuſpicions, Iealoſies, diſcontents, folly, & madneſſe, I referre you to Xenophons Tyrannus, where king Hieron diſcourſeth at large with Simonides the Poet, of this ſubject.

   • 1711 March 13 (Gregorian calendar), [Joseph Addison; Richard Steele et al.], “FRIDAY, March 2, 1710–1711”, in The Spectator, number 2; republished in Alexander Chalmers, editor, The Spectator; a New Edition, , volume I, New York, N.Y.: D[aniel] Appleton & Company, 1853, →OCLC, page 88:

     But being ill-used by the above-mentioned widow, he was very serious for a year and a half; and though, his temper being naturally jovial, he at last got over it, he grew careless of himself, and never dressed afterwards.

     The spelling has been modernized.

   • 1790 August, “Art V. The Devil upon Two Sticks in England: Being a Continuation of Le Diable Boiteux of Le Sage. 12mo. 4 Vols. about 230 Pages in each. 12s. Sewed. Walter, Piccadilly. 1790. [book review]”, in The Monthly Review; or, Literary Journal, Enlarged, volume II, London: Printed for R[alph] Griffiths; and sold by T Becket, , →OCLC, page 392:

     [I]n polite ſocieties, he is the eaſy, well-bred man of faſhion; and, in the more convivial parties, he is the jovial companion.

   • 1797, Richard Graves, “On the Death of an Epicure”, in Select Epigrams. In Two Volumes, volume II, London: Printed by and for Sampson Low, ; and sold by W. H. Lunn, , →OCLC, page 31:

     At length, my friends, the feaſt of life is o’er; / I’ve eat ſufficient, I can drink no more: / My nigh is come; I’ve ſpent a jovial day; ’Tis time to part; but, oh!—what is to pay?

   • 1843 December 19, Charles Dickens, “Stave Five. The End of It.”, in A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas, London: Chapman & Hall, , →OCLC, pages 154–155:

     Running to the window, he opened it, and put out his head. No fog, no mist; clear, bright, jovial, stirring, cold; cold, piping for the blood to dance to; Golden sunlight; Heavenly sky; sweet fresh air; merry bells. Oh, glorious. Glorious!

   • 1905 January 12, Baroness Orczy [i.e., Emma Orczy], “Lord Grenville’s Ball”, in The Scarlet Pimpernel, popular edition, London: Greening & Co., published 20 March 1912, →OCLC, page 115:

     A long, jovial, inane laugh broke the sudden silence which had fallen over everyone.

   • 1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter XXXIV, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC, page 267:

     She takes the whole thing with desperate seriousness. But the others are all easy and jovial—thinking about the good fare that is soon to be eaten, about the hired fly, about anything.

   • 1951 December, Rock Island Lines News Digest, volume X, number 12, Chicago, Ill.: Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad Company, →OCLC, page 1:

     [A] jovial Santa Claus with an understanding heart and an attentive ear— […]

2. (not comparable, astrology, obsolete) Pertaining to the astrological influence of the planet Jupiter; having the characteristics of a person under such influence (see sense 1).
   • 1682, Joseph Blagrave, “ The Ascendant to the Body of Jupiter.”, in Obadiah Blagrave, editor, Blagrave’s Introduction to Astrology. In Three Parts. , London: Printed by E. Tyler, and R. Holt, for Obadiah Blagrave, , →OCLC, part III, page 226:

     This Planet [Jupiter] being a Fortune, and Friend unto nature, inclineth the native, upon this direction, not only unto healthfulneſs, but alſo to be jovial and merry, affable and pleaſant, and to delight in the company of religious men: […] [T]his direction importeth good from jovial perſons, and is an excellent time to have dealings with, or to receive any courteſie from, or benefit by them, […]

   • 1852, William Lilly, Zadkiel [pseudonym; Richard James Morrison], “Of the Fourth House, and Judgments Depending thereon”, in An Introduction to Astrology : A Grammar of Astrology, and Tables for Calculating Nativities. , London: H G Bohn, , →OCLC, page 145:

     As ☉ is near to a ⚹ of ♃, so did a jovial man endeavour to procure the purchase (after I began), but ♃ is cadent and in detriment, which shewed he should not prevail.

Alternative forms

• joviall (obsolete)

Derived terms

• joviality
• jovially
• jovialness

Related terms

• Jove
• Jovial
• Jovian

Translations

References

Further reading

• Jupiter on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Jupiter (mythology) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• jovial (disambiguation) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• “jovial”, in The Century Dictionary , New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• “jovial”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “jovial”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin ioviālis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central)
• IPA^(key): (Balearic)
• IPA^(key): (Valencian)

Adjective

jovial m or f (masculine and feminine plural jovials)

1. cheerful, jovial

Derived terms

• jovialitat
• jovialment

Related terms

• dijous
• jovià

Further reading

• “jovial” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian gioviale, from Latin ioviālis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʒɔ.vjal/

• Audio

  (file)

• Homophones: joviale, joviales

Adjective

jovial (feminine joviale, masculine plural joviaux, feminine plural joviales)

1. jovial, jolly

Descendants

• ⇒ Czech: žoviální

Further reading

• “jovial”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé , 2012.

German

Etymology

Borrowed from French jovial, from Italian gioviale, from Latin ioviālis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /joˈviaːl/

• Audio

  (file)

Adjective

jovial (strong nominative masculine singular jovialer, comparative jovialer, superlative am jovialsten)

1. jovial

Declension

Further reading

• “jovial” in Duden online
• “jovial” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From German jovial, from Latin jovialis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ju.vi.aːl/,

• Audio

  (file)

Adjective

jovial (neuter singular jovialt, definite singular and plural joviale)

1. jovial

References

“jovial” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From German jovial, from Latin jovialis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ju.vi.aːl/,

Adjective

jovial (neuter singular jovialt, definite singular and plural joviale)

1. jovial

References

“jovial” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Portuguese

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin ioviālis.

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -al, -aw
• Hyphenation: jo‧vi‧al

Adjective

jovial m or f (plural joviais)

1. jovial; merry, cheerful

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French jovial.

Adjective

jovial m or n (feminine singular jovială, masculine plural joviali, feminine and neuter plural joviale)

1. jocose

Declension

Related terms

• jovialitate

Spanish

Etymology

From Latin ioviālis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /xoˈbjal/

• Audio (Colombia):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -al
• Syllabification: jo‧vial

Adjective

jovial m or f (masculine and feminine plural joviales)

1. Jovian
2. cheerful, jovial

Derived terms

Further reading

• “jovial”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014