Jovial

Pronunciation

• UK IPA: /ˈdʒəʊ.vɪ.É™l/
• US IPA: /ˈdÊ’oÊŠ.vɪ.É™l/

Origin

Borrowing from fr jovial, from Italian gioviale, from Latin ioviālis, from Iovis ("Jove"), i.e. Jupiter, the planet which was thought by astrologers to bring jollity.

Full definition of jovial

Adjective

1. (obsolete) Pertaining to Jove or Zeus; Jovian.
2. (obsolete) Pertaining to the planet Jupiter; Jovian.
3. (astrology, obsolete) Under the influence of the planet Jupiter (considered a source of happiness).
4. Merry; cheerful and good-humored.
• 1918, W. B. Maxwell, The Mirror and the Lamp Chapter 16, “… 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.”

Related terms

• Jove
• Jovian