Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “jovial” come from?

Jovial comes from French jovial, from Italian gioviale, from Latin iovialis, meaning relating to Jove, formed from Latin -alis and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European peh₂-.

jovial (English): Cheerful and good-humoured; jolly, merry;...

Definitions

  1. Cheerful and good-humoured; jolly, merry;...

Ancestry of “jovial”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchjovialjovial, jolly
2Middle Frenchjovial—
3Italiangiovialejolly, jovial
4Latinioviālis—
5Latiniuppiter—
6Proto-Italicdjous patērJupiter
7Proto-Italic*djous—
8Proto-Indo-Europeandyḗwssky, heaven; sky god
9Proto-Indo-Europeandyéws—
10Proto-Indo-Europeandyew-to be bright; sky, heaven

Words derived from “jovial”

  • jovially
  • jovialness
  • jovialist
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dyew- →