merry Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. adjective satellite full of or showing high-spirited merriment
    jocund; gay; mirthful; jolly; jovial.
    • when hearts were young and gay
    • a poet could not but be gay, in such a jocund company"- Wordsworth
    • the jolly crowd at the reunion
    • jolly old Saint Nick
    • a jovial old gentleman
    • have a merry Christmas
    • peals of merry laughter
    • a mirthful laugh
  2. adjective satellite offering fun and gaiety
    festal; gay; festive.
    • a festive (or festal) occasion
    • gay and exciting night life
    • a merry evening
  3. adjective satellite quick and energetic
    zippy; brisk; spanking; alert; snappy; lively; rattling.
    • a brisk walk in the park
    • a lively gait
    • a merry chase
    • traveling at a rattling rate
    • a snappy pace
    • a spanking breeze

WordNet

Mer"ry adjective
Etymology
OE. merie, mirie, murie, merry, pleasant, AS. merge, myrige, pleasant; cf. murge, adv.; prob. akin to OHG. murg, short, Goth. gamaúrgjan to shorten; cf. L. murcus a coward, who cuts off his thumb to escape military service; the Anglo-Saxon and English meanings coming from the idea of making the time seem short. Cf. Mirth.
Wordforms
comparative Merrier ; superlative Merriest
Definitions
  1. Laughingly gay; overflowing with good humor and good spirits; jovial; inclined to laughter or play ; sportive.
    They drank, and were merry with him. Gen. xliii. 34.
    I am never merry when I hear sweet music. Shak.
  2. Cheerful; joyous; not sad; happy.
    Is any merry let him sing psalms. Jas. v. 13.
  3. Causing laughter, mirth, gladness, or delight; as, merry jest. "Merry wind and weather." Spenser. Syn. -- Cheerful; blithe; lively; sprightly; vivacious; gleeful; joyous; mirthful; jocund; sportive; hilarious.
Mer"ry noun
Definitions
  1. (Bot.) A kind of wild red cherry.

Webster 1913