A Word A Day : Jovial





Wednesday, 7th May 2008 : Today's Word is ...

Jovial



( Adjective )




Pronunciation : jo-vee-al


Definition:



1. Full of good humor

2. Marked by hearty conviviality and good cheer

3. Full of or showing high-spirited merriment


JOVIAL is a high-order computer programming language similar to ALGOL, but specialized for the development of embedded systems.

JOVIAL stands for Jules Own Version of the International Algorithmic Language.


Etymology:


French, probably from Italian giovale, from Old Italian, of Jupiter (regarded as the source of happiness), from Late Latin Ioviâlis, from Latin Iuppiter, Iov-, Jupiter


Synonyms:


cheerful, jolly, fun-loving, breezy, cheery, good-humored, full of beans, bright and breezy, happy, merry, jocund, blithe, buoyant


Antonyms:


gloomy, miserable, sad, unhappy


Contextual Examples:


• The jovial party greeted the carolers with eggnog and, of course, figgy pudding.

• As he sat down quietly under the shade of a drooping willow he heard snatches of a jovial song floating to him from the farther side. Then came a sound of two men's voices arguing.

• The Frenchman considered the position, then broke suddenly into jovial expletives, and with an impatient gesture, gathering up the pieces, flung them into their box.

• One pupil of the sixteen-year-old Custer remembered him as socially inclined, jovial, and full of life.

• The Puritans took a dim view of the jovial, amiable cleric who liked to have a pot of ale at one of Purleigh's pubs.

• He smiled, joked and at times seemed downright jovial.


Related Words:


joviality : Noun

jovialness : Noun

jovially : Adverb


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