Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
jovial
jo′vi-al
,Adj.
[F., fr. L.
Jovialis
pertaining to Jove. The planet Jupiter was thought to make those born under it joyful or jovial. See Jove
.] 1.
[capitalized]
Of or pertaining to the god, or the planet, Jupiter.
[Obs.]
Our
jovial
star reigned at his birth. Shakespeare
The fixed stars astrologically differenced by the planets, and esteemed Martial or
Jovial
according to the colors whereby they answer these planets. Sir T. Browne.
2.
Sunny; serene.
[Obs.]
“The heavens always joviall.” Spenser.
3.
Gay; merry; joyous; jolly; mirth-inspiring; hilarious; characterized by mirth or jollity;
as, a
jovial
youth; a jovial
company; a jovial
poem.Be bright and
jovial
among your guests. Shakespeare
His odes are some of them panegyrical, others moral; the rest are
jovial
or bacchanalian. Dryden.
Syn. – Merry; joyous; gay; festive; mirthful; gleeful; jolly; hilarious.
Webster 1828 Edition
Jovial
JO'VIAL
,Adj.
--The fixed stars astrologically differenced by the planets, and esteemed Martial or Jovial according to the colors whereby they answer these planets.
JO'VIAL
, a.1.
Gay; merry; airy; joyous; jolly; as a jovial youth; a jovial throng.2.
Expressive of mirth and hilarity. His odes are some of them panegyrical, others moral, the rest are jovial or bacchanalian.
Definition 2024
jovial
jovial
English
Adjective
jovial (comparative more jovial, superlative most jovial)
- (obsolete) Pertaining to Jove or Zeus; Jovian.
- (obsolete) Pertaining to the planet Jupiter; Jovian.
- (astrology, obsolete) Under the influence of the planet Jupiter (considered a source of happiness).
- Merry; cheerful and good-humored.
- 1918, W. B. Maxwell, chapter 16, in The Mirror and the Lamp:
- “[…] 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.”
-
Translations
merry, cheerful
Related terms
French
Etymology
Borrowing from Italian gioviale, from Latin ioviālis.
Pronunciation
Adjective
jovial m (feminine singular joviale, masculine plural joviaux, feminine plural joviales)
German
Etymology
Borrowing from French jovial, from Italian gioviale, from Latin ioviālis.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /joˈviaːl/
Adjective
jovial