Where does “jollity” come from?

Jollity comes from Middle English jolyfte, from Old French joliveté, derived from Old French jolif, which was borrowed from Old Norse jól, ultimately tracing to Proto-Indo-European yekə-.

jollity (English): The state of being jolly; cheerfulness; Revelry...

Definitions

  1. The state of being jolly; cheerfulness; Revelry...

Ancestry of “jollity”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishjolyfte—
2Old Frenchjolivetéjoyfulness; gaiety
3Old Frenchjolifpretty; attractive
4Old French-if-ive
5Latin-īvusAdjective suffix
6Proto-Indo-European-iHwós—
7Proto-Indo-European-wósCreates adjectives from verb stems
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -wós →Every word from Latin -īvus →Every word from Old French -if →