English Explanatory Dictionary

glee

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. Joy; happiness; great delight, especially from one's own good fortune or from another's misfortune.
  2. Music; minstrelsy; entertainment.
  3. An unaccompanied part song for three or more solo voices, not necessarily merry.
verb
  1. To sing a glee (unaccompanied part song).

Pronunciation

glē /ɡliː/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-glee.wav

Word forms

glee glees gleeing gleed

Etymology

From Middle English gle, from Old English glēo, glīġ, glēow, glīw (“glee, pleasure, mirth, play, sport; music; mockery”), from Proto-West Germanic *glīw, from Proto-Germanic *glīwą (“joy, mirth”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰlew- (“to joke, make fun, enjoy”). Cognate with Scots gle, glie, glew (“game, play, sport, mirth, joy, rejoicing, entertainment, melody, music”), Icelandic glý (“joy, glee, gladness”), Ancient Greek χλεύη (khleúē, “joke, jest, scorn”). A poetic word in Middle English, the word was obsolete by 1500, but revived late 18c.

Synonyms

merriment mirth gaiety gloat blitheness blithesomeness cheerfulness cheeriness contentness contentedness delight delightedness elatedness elation exuberance exuberantness felicity gayness gayfulness gladness gladsomeness glee gleefulness gleesomeness happiness high spirits hilarity jolliness jollity joviality jovialness joy joyfulness joyousness liss merriness mirthfulness pleasedness

Derived words

glee-beam glee club gleecraft gleeful gleefully gleefulness gleeish gleek gleeless gleemaiden gleeman gleesome gleewoman
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