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JOLLY (from O. Fr. jolif; Fr. joli, t...

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Originally appearing in Volume V15, Page 495 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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JOLLY (from O. Fr. jolif; Fr. joli, the See also:French word is obscure in origin; it may be from See also:late See also:Lat. gaudivus, from gaudere, to rejoice, the See also:change of d to 1 being paralleled by cigada and cigale, or from O. Norse jol, Eng. " See also:yule," the See also:northern festival of  midwinter), and See also:adjective meaning See also:gay, cheerful, jovial, high-spirited . The colloquial use of the See also:term as an intensive adverb, meaning extremely, very, was in See also:early usage quite See also:literary; thus See also:John Trapp (1601-1669), Commentaries on the New Testament, See also:Matthew (1647), writes, " All was See also:jolly quiet at See also:Ephesus before St See also:Paul came hither." In the royal See also:navy " jolly " used as a substantive, is the See also:slang name for a marine . To " jolly " is a slang synonym for " See also:chaff." The word " jolly-See also:boat," the name of a See also:ship's small broad boat, usually See also:clinker-built, is of doubtful See also:etymology . It occurs in See also:English in the iSth See also:century, and is usually connected with See also:Dan. or Swed. jolle, Dutch jol, a small ship's boat; these words are properly represented in English by " See also:yawl " originally a ship's small boat, now chiefly used of a rig of sailing vessels, with a cutter-rigged foremast and a small mizzen stepped far aft, with a spanker See also:sail (see See also:RIGGING) . A connexion has been suggested with a word of much earlier See also:appearance in English, jolywat, or gellywatte . This occurs at the end of the 15th century and is used of a smaller type of ship's boat . This is supposed to be a corruption of the See also:French galiote or Dutch galjoot, galliot (see See also:GALLEY) . The galliot was, however, a large See also:vessel .

End of Article: JOLLY (from O. Fr. jolif; Fr. joli, the French word is obscure in origin; it may be from late Lat. gaudivus, from gaudere, to rejoice, the change of d to 1 being paralleled by cigada and cigale, or from O. Norse jol, Eng. " yule," the northern festival of
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SIR HENRI GUSTAVE JOLY DE LOTBINIERE (1829-1908)

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