hilarity
/hɪˈlærəti/noun
Lively amusement or boisterous laughter
From Greek, via Latin hilar- (Cheerful).
Lineage
The story
A cheerful Greek word, hilarós, passed into Latin as hilaris, and from it Romans made hilaritās: cheerfulness, or merriment. The Romans even had festivals called Hilaria, celebrated for Cybele around the spring equinox with public rejoicing; the name sounds like a party invitation from antiquity. English picked up hilarity by the mid-15th century, keeping the old sense of high spirits rather than simply “something funny.” Etymonline also suggests a possible deeper connection with words for appeasing or reconciling—an intriguing hint that hilarity may have once carried the warmth of making peace, not just making people laugh.
Modern usage
A humorous or chaotic situation, often used in the phrase “hilarity ensues.”
- Heard in
- internet humor · informal speech
- See
- The phrase “hilarity ensues”
Words from the same roots
hilar- · Ancient Greek, via Latin, ‘Cheerful, merry; the basis for a noun meaning cheerfulness’
Derivedhilarious, hilariously, hilariousness