Where does “glee” come from?

Glee comes from Middle English gle, from Old English glēo, from Proto-Germanic glīwą, from Proto-Indo-European gʰlew-, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European gʰel-.

glee (English): Joy; happiness great delight, especially from...

Definitions

  1. Joy; happiness great delight, especially from...

Ancestry of “glee”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishgle—
2Old Norsegleðjato gladden, to make glad
3Old Norse-ja—
4Proto-Germanic-janąDerives denominatives from nouns and factitives...
5Proto-Indo-European-yétiCreates intransitive, often deponent,...
6Proto-Indo-Europeanyé-—
7Chichewaiyehe, she
Every word from Chichewa iye →Every word from Proto-Germanic -janą →Every word from Proto-Indo-European -yéti →