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jol·ly (jŏlē)
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adj. jol·li·er, jol·li·est
1. Full of good humor and high spirits.
2. Exhibiting or occasioning happiness or mirth; cheerful: a jolly tune.
3. Greatly pleasing; enjoyable: had a jolly time.
adv.
Chiefly British
To a great extent or degree; extremely.
v. jol·lied, jol·ly·ing, jol·lies
v.tr.
To keep amused or diverted for one's own purposes; humor.
v.intr.
To amuse oneself with humorous banter.
n. pl. jol·lies
1. Chiefly British A good or festive time.
2. jollies Slang Amusement; kicks: However you get your jollies is fine with me.
[Middle English joli, from Old French, perhaps of Scandinavian origin.]
jolli·ly adv.
jolli·ness n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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