# joy

Pronunciation: say "JOY" /d͡ʒɔɪ/

## Noun

1. A feeling of great happiness or delight, especially connected to getting or expecting something good.
   - Simple: A strong feeling of happiness, often when something good happens or is on the way.
   - _A wave of joy swept over the crowd as the team scored._
   - _She could barely contain her joy when the acceptance letters arrived._
2. Something that brings about a feeling of great happiness.
   - Simple: Something that makes you feel very happy.
   - _The new baby has been a joy to her grandparents._
   - _Cooking for friends remains one of his greatest joys._
4. Luck or success; a positive outcome, especially after some effort. *(colloquial, UK)*
   - Simple: Luck or a good result, often when trying to get or do something.
   - _We searched three stores for the part but had no joy._
   - _After weeks of calls, she finally had some joy with the insurance company._

## Interjection

3. Used to express happiness or appreciation; now usually used ironically, to express annoyance or dismay.
   - Simple: Said to show you are happy. Today it is usually said in a joking way to show you are not happy.

## Verb

5. To feel great happiness; to rejoice. *(literary)*
   - Simple: To feel great happiness about something.

## Noun

6. An outward sign or display of happiness; gaiety, merriment, and festivity. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: An outward show of happiness, like celebration and merrymaking.

## Verb

7. To enjoy or take pleasure in something. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: To enjoy something, or take pleasure in it.
8. To gladden someone; to make them joyful or fill them with delight. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To make someone feel happy and full of life.
9. To give joy to someone; to congratulate them. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To congratulate someone, by telling them you are pleased about something good that has happened to them.

## Origin

Latin 'gaudēre' ('to be glad, rejoice') gave the noun 'gaudium' ('joy'), whose neuter plural, Late Latin 'gaudia', became Old French 'joie' and then Middle English 'joye'. It took over from native Old English 'ġefēa'. The interjection grew out of the noun, while the verb came from Old French 'jöir' through Middle English 'joyen'.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/joy (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).