joy

joy · noun, interjection, verb¹

1. Old French · derived fromjöir
2. Middle English · inherited fromjoyen
3. Latin · derived fromgaudium“joy”
4. Late Latin · derived fromgaudia
5. Old French · derived fromjoie
6. Middle English · inherited fromjoye
7. English todayjoy

The noun is from Middle English joye, borrowed from Old French joie, from Late Latin gaudia, neuter plural (mistaken as feminine singular) of Latin gaudium (“joy”), from gaudēre (“to be glad, rejoice”). Doublet of jo and gaudy (“Oxford college reunion”). Displaced native Old English ġefēa. The interjection is from the noun. The verb is from Middle English joyen, joȝen, joien, from Old French jöir, from the Old French noun (see above).

Joy · proper noun²

From the noun joy, first used by Puritans in the 17th century.

Words from the same roots