adj. Marked by hearty conviviality and good cheer: a jovial host. [French, from Middle French, under the favorable astrological influence of the planet Jupiter, jovial, from Old Italian, from Late Latin Ioviālis, of Jupiter, from Latin Iuppiter, Iov-, Jupiter; see dyeu- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] jo′vi·ali·ty (-ălĭ-tē) n. jovi·al·ly adv. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.