mirth

[murth]
noun
1.
gaiety or jollity, especially when accompanied by laughter: the excitement and mirth of the holiday season.
2.
amusement or laughter: He was unable to conceal his mirth.

Origin:
before 900; Middle English mirthe, Old English myrgth. See merry, -th1

mirth·less, adjective


1, 2. Mirth, glee, hilarity, merriment, jollity, joviality refer to the gaiety characterizing people who are enjoying the companionship of others. Mirth suggests spontaneous amusement or gaiety, manifested briefly in laughter: uncontrolled outbursts of mirth. Glee suggests an effervescence of high spirits or exultation, often manifested in playful or ecstatic gestures; it may apply also to a malicious rejoicing over mishaps to others: glee over the failure of a rival. Hilarity implies noisy and boisterous mirth, often exceeding the limits of reason or propriety: hilarity aroused by practical jokes. Merriment suggests fun, good spirits, and good nature rather than the kind of wit and sometimes artificial funmaking that cause hilarity: The house resounded with music and sounds of merriment. Jollity and joviality may refer either to a general atmosphere of mirthful festivity or to the corresponding traits of individuals. Jollity implies an atmosphere of easy and convivial gaiety, a more hearty merriment or a less boisterous hilarity: The holiday was a time of jollity. Joviality implies a more mellow merriment generated by people who are hearty, generous, benevolent, and high-spirited: the joviality of warm-hearted friends.


1. gloom.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To mirth
00:10
Mirth is always a great word to know.
So is ninnyhammer. Does it mean:
a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.
a fool or simpleton; ninny.
Collins
World English Dictionary
mirth (mɜːθ) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n
laughter, gaiety, or merriment
 
[Old English myrgth; compare merry]
 
'mirthful
 
adj
 
'mirthfully
 
adv
 
'mirthfulness
 
n
 
'mirthless
 
adj
 
'mirthlessly
 
adv
 
'mirthlessness
 
n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

mirth
O.E. myrgð "joy, pleasure," from P.Gmc. *murgitha, noun of quality from *murgjo- (see merry). Mirthquake "entertainment that excites convulsive laughter" first attested 1928, in ref. to Harold Lloyd movies.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
Even in life she was never a great one for mirth, my mother.
The physiologic effects of humor, mirth, and laughter.
The line between laughing with and laughing at was a tightrope stretched
  between mirth and pity.
But, alas, I got distracted from the mirth and dragged into politics.
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