: marked by or suggestive of high spirits and lively mirthfulness
… a poet could not but be gay, in such a jocund company …—William Wordsworth
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The Tricky Etymology of Jocund
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.
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“Jocund.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jocund. Accessed 10 Jul. 2026.
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