jolly

From Middle English joli, jolif (“merry, cheerful”), from Old French joli, jolif (“merry, joyful”)[1] It is uncertain whether the Old French word is from Old Norse jól ("a midwinter feast, Yule", hence "fest-ive"),[2] 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”); or ultimately from Latin gaudeō (see etymology at joy), which fails to explain the presence of l in jolif. For the loss of final -f compare tardy, hasty, hussy, etc.

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈd͡ʒɒli/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈd͡ʒɑli/

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• Rhymes: -ɒli
• Hyphenation: jol‧ly

jolly (comparative jollier, superlative jolliest)

1. Full of merriment and high spirits; jovial; joyous; merry.
   • 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book I, Canto II”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, , stanzas xi-xii:

     "Full jolly Knight he seemed […] full large of limb and every joint / He was, and cared not for God or man a point."

   • 1815, William Wordsworth, Hart-Leap Well, Part Second:

     "A jolly place," said he, "in times of old! / But something ails it now: the spot is curst. ..."

   • 1819, Washington Irving, “The Stage Coach”, in The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent.:

     […] he is swelled into jolly dimensions by frequent potations of malt liquors […]

2. (colloquial, dated) Splendid, excellent, pleasant.
   • 1852 March – 1853 September, Charles Dickens, chapter 16, in Bleak House, London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1853, →OCLC:

     Jo silently notices how white and small her hand is and what a jolly servant she must be to wear such sparkling rings.

3. (informal) Drunk.

• jolliness
• jollisome

jolly (plural jollies)

1. (UK, dated, often humorous) A pleasure trip or excursion.
2. (slang, dated) A marine in the English navy.

   Synonym: joey

   • 1896, Rudyard Kipling, Soldier an' Sailor Too:

     I'm a Jolly — 'Er Majesty's Jolly — soldier an' sailor too!

3. (slang, archaic) A word of praise, or favourable notice.
   • 2021, Jenni Spangler, The Incredible Talking Machine:

     '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.'

• jollyful

jolly (comparative more jolly, superlative most jolly)

1. (British, dated) very, extremely

   It’s jolly hot in here, isn’t it?

   • 1991, Stephen Fry, chapter III, in The Liar, London: William Heinemann, →ISBN, page 26:

     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.’

jolly (third-person singular simple present jollies, present participle jollying, simple past and past participle jollied)

1. (transitive) To amuse or divert.
2. (transitive, informal, archaic) To praise or talk up.
   • 1898, Marketing/Communications, volume 23, page 52:

     I do not believe in 'jollying' and 'soft soaping' a man when his work is really bad.

• Jolly in the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica, vol. 15, p. 495.

Borrowed from English jolly joker, an older name for the joker card in a deck of cards.

• IPA^(key): /ˈd͡ʒɔl.li/
• Rhymes: -ɔlli

jolly m (invariable)

1. (card games) joker
2. wild card