Don't let the etymology of jocund play tricks on you. The word comes from jucundus, a Latin word meaning "agreeable" or "delightful," and ultimately from the Latin verb juvare, meaning "to help." But jucundus looks and sounds a bit like jocus, the Latin word for "joke." These two roots took a lively romp through many centuries together and along the way the lighthearted jocus influenced the spelling and meaning of jucundus, an interaction that eventually resulted in our modern English word jocund in the 14th century.
merry suggests cheerful, joyous, uninhibited enjoyment of frolic or festivity.
a merry group of revelers
blithe suggests carefree, innocent, or even heedless gaiety.
arrived late in his usual blithe way
jocund stresses elation and exhilaration of spirits.
singing, dancing, and jocund feasting
jovial suggests the stimulation of conviviality and good fellowship.
dinner put them in a jovial mood
jolly suggests high spirits expressed in laughing, bantering, and jesting.
our jolly host enlivened the party
Example Sentences
old friends engaged in jocund teasing
Recent Examples on the WebPolitical Mooovment forces an examination of how consuming dairy and meat harms our planet and potentially our bodies, underscored by a jocund tone. Natasha Gural, Forbes, 29 May 2021 There’s a feeling of joy that comes with walking into Jovanina’s Broken Italian, a jocund eight-month-old eatery that’s part of LoDo’s recent restaurant renaissance. Daliah Singer, The Know, 6 Aug. 2019
Word History
Etymology
Middle English, from Late Latin jocundus, alteration of Latin jucundus, from juvare to help