Pronounced: SHOW-vuh-niz-uhm, noun
Notes: I was familiar with the word, but the background was interesting
Yesterday’s word
The word jocund means “marked by or suggestive of high spirits and lively mirthfulness”
First usage
Our word came into English in the mid-1300s
Background / Comments
Our word came from the Middle English jocound, which came from the Late Latin word jocundus (agreeable; delightful), which came from the verb juvāre (to help). The word jocundus looks similar to jocus (joke), which is the origin of our word “joke”.
Richard's Vocabulary Word-of-the-Day 