jo·vi·al (jō'vē-əl) adj. Marked by hearty conviviality and good cheer: a jovial host.
[French, probably from Italian giovale, from Old Italian, of Jupiter (regarded as the source of happiness), from Late Latin Ioviālis, from Latin Iuppiter, Iov-, Jupiter; see dyeu- in Indo-European roots.] jo'vi·al'i·ty (-āl'ĭ-tē) n., jo'vi·al·ly adv.