▪ I. joy, n.
(dʒɔɪ)
Forms: 3–6 ioie, ioi, 3–7 ioye, ioy, (3 ioiȝe, 4 ioȝe, ioyȝe, yoi, yoe, goye, 5 yoye, yoy), 7 joye, 7– joy.
[ME. a. OF. joie, joye joy, jewel, F. joie (= Pr. joia, Sp. joya, Pg. joia jewel, It. gioja joy, jewel):—pop.L. *gaudia fem. for L. gaudia, pl. of gaudium joy; cf. Pr. joi:—L. gaudium.]
1. a. A vivid emotion of pleasure arising from a sense of well-being or satisfaction; the feeling or state of being highly pleased or delighted; exultation of spirit; gladness, delight.
| a 1225 Ancr. R. 218 Auh efter þe spreoue, on ende,—þeonne is þe muchele ioie. a 1240 Lofsong in Cott. Hom. 213 Al mi woa on eorðe schal turnen me to ioie. 1340 Ayenb. 226 More wes tocne of wepinge and of zorȝe þanne of goye and of ydele blisse. Ibid. 75 Ioye wyþoute ende. c 1440 York Myst. xxx. 387 Þi joie is in japes. 1535 Coverdale Ps. cxxvi. 5 They that sowe in teeres, shal reape in ioye. 1611 Bible Job xxxviii. 7 When the morning starres sang together, and all the sonnes of God shouted for ioy. 1651 Bp. Hall Solil. 27 There is little difference betwixt joy and happiness. 1754 Richardson Grandison IV. iv. 39, I have joy in the joy of all these good people. 1785 Boswell Tour Hebr. 30 Oct., Joseph..reported that the earl ‘jumped for joy’. 1802 Wordsw. Resol. Indep. vii, I thought..Of him who walked in glory and in joy Following his plough, along the mountain-side. 1820 Keats Ode Melancholy iii, Joy, whose hand is ever at his lips Bidding adieu. 1867 J. Ingelow Dominion 29 It is a comely fashion to be glad—Joy is the grace we say to God. |
b. with
a and
pl.: an instance or kind of this.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 23366 Ne hert mai think þaa ioies sere, Þat iesu crist has dight til his. c 1450 Cov. Myst. 261 There joye of alle joyis to the is sewre! c 1620 Donne Serm. (ed. Alford) IV. 272 This third Ioy..is not a collateral Ioy..but it is a fundamental Ioy, a radical Ioy. 1697 Dryden Virg. Georg. iv. 749 Averse from Venus, and from nuptial Joys. 1855 Tennyson Maud i. v. 3 A joy in which I cannot rejoice, A glory I shall not find. |
c. The expression of glad feeling; outward rejoicing; mirth;
† jubilant festivity.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 3014 Isaac wel es for to sai A man þat takens ioy and plai. c 1400 Mandeville (1839) xxviii. 286 Whan thei dyen, thei maken gret feste and gret ioye and reuell. 1535 Coverdale Ps. cxxvi. 2 Then shall oure mouth be fylled with laughter, and oure tonge with ioye. 1552 Huloet, Ioye made for victorie, as bonefyres wyth bankettes, epinicium. 1611 Bible Isa. lii. 9 Breake foorth into ioy, sing together, yee waste places. 1800 Wordsw. Idle Shepherd-boys 1 The valley rings with mirth and joy. |
† d. maiden of joy, a courtesan (F.
fille de joie).
Obs.| 1585 T. Washington tr. Nicholay's Voy. iv. xxv. 141 The lively drafts..of a mayden of ioy or a common woman. |
† e. ellipt. An expression of sympathetic joy, a congratulation.
Cf. phr. to give one (the) joy.
Obs.| 1656 Sir J. Finett For. Ambass. 11 In conclusion, a joy pronounced by the King and Queen, and seconded with congratulation of the Lords there present. |
f. Used
interjectionally, as an expression of joy.
| 1719 De Foe Crusoe i. xv. (1840) 266 Friday..in a kind of surprise falls a-jumping and dancing..‘O joy!’ says he. 1803–6 Wordsw. Intimations ix, O joy! that in our embers Is something that doth live. 1817 Moore Lalla R., Par. & Peri, Joy, joy for ever! my task is done, The gates are passed, and heaven is won. |
g. colloq. Result, satisfaction, success. Esp. with negative, and
freq. ironical.
| 1945 Tee Emm (Air Ministry) V. 53 There's even less joy in sending us the money. 1945 C. H. Ward-Jackson Piece of Cake (ed. 2) 40 Joy, satisfaction. Thus, ‘Johnnie took the new kite up this morning—had bags of joy’, or ‘no joy at all’. 1946 Brickhill & Norton Escape to Danger xxxiii. 294 At 9.15 the workers had been down nearly forty minutes and still ‘no joy’. 1961 S. Price Just for Record ii. 17, I..tried to get a taxi. No joy, so back into the studio. 1961 H. R. Williamson Wicked Pack Cards ix. 94 Did you get any joy at the picture gallery? 1971 D. Bagley Freedom Trap vii. 147 He reported, ‘No joy!’ Ibid. viii. 178 ‘Any joy there?’ She looked up. ‘There's not much more than I told you last night.’ 1972 R. Fiennes Ice Fall in Norway vi. 86 It was becoming late—we tried to locate Patrick's position again, but without joy. 1973 Scotsman 7 Aug. 8/2 Parking the car in this bay we started to look for a path and a break in the barbed wire—again with no joy. |
2. A pleasurable state or condition; a state of happiness or felicity;
esp. the perfect bliss or beatitude of heaven; hence, the place of bliss, paradise, heaven;
= bliss 2 c,
glory 7.
Obs. or
arch.| c 1275 Passion Our Lord 586 in O.E. Misc. 54 Þer is my vader and eke heore, and ioye euer ilyche. 1297 R. Glouc. (Rolls) 535 Þer abbeþ kinges & mani oþere ofte ibe in ioie. c 1320 Cast. Love 1519 Þat he wone wiþ vs wiþ-Inne, And aftur þis lyf to Ioye wende. c 1400 Mandeville (Roxb.) xxxi. 141 Þai go to þe ioy of Paradys [il vait en paradis]. 1422 tr. Secreta Secret., Priv. Priv. 150 Therfor Sholde a man lytill cowete..the honnoure, the yoy, or the gladnysse of this worlde. 1552 Bk. Com. Prayer, Morn. Prayer, So that at the last we may come to hys eternall ioye. c 1646 Milton Sonn. Mrs. Thomson, Thy works, and alms..Followed thee up to joy and bliss for ever. [1870 J. Ellerton Hymn, ‘When the day of toil is done’ iv, Bring us, where all tears are dried, Joy for evermore.] |
3. a. A source or object of joy; that which causes joy, or in which delight is taken; a delight.
Joys of Mary (
R.C. Ch.), special occasions of joy to the mother of Jesus Christ. The mediæval church reckoned five; lists differ; an early 14th c. poem (Wright
Lyric P. (1844) 95) has the Annunciation, Nativity, Epiphany, Resurrection, and her Assumption; later
R.C. writers make seven, adding as second and fifth, the Visitation and Finding in the Temple, and making the seventh the Ascension.
| c 1275 Luve Ron in O.E. Misc. 97 His sihte is al ioye and gleo, he is day wyþ-ute nyhte. 1382 Wyclif Phil. iv. 1 My britheren moost dereworthe..my ioye and my crowne. c 1430 Hymns Virg. 67 Quod man, y pleie, y wrastile, y sprynge, Þese ioies wolen neuere wende me fro. 1539 Bible (Great) Ps. xlviii. 2 The hyll of Sion is a fayre place, & the ioye of the whole earth. 1611 Bible Isa. xxxii. 14 The forts and towers shall be for dens for ever, a joy of wild asses, a pasture of flocks. 1818 Keats Endym. i. 1 A thing of beauty is a joy for ever. 1876 Ouida Winter City vi. 151 You can see no horizon from it; that alone is the joy of the moor-land. |
| a 1310 in Wright Lyric P. 89 Al thourh that levedy gent and smal, heried by hyr joies fyve. Ibid. 96 The thridde joie of that levedy That men clepeth the Epyphany. 1463 Bury Wills 17 Oure ladyes fyve joyes. 1674 Brevint Saul at Endor 281 They allow but 40 daies Pardon for saying seven Paters and Aves to the honor of the seven Joies. |
b. Used (
esp. dial.) as a term of endearment for a sweetheart, child, etc.; a darling:
cf. jo 2.
| 1590 Shakes. Mids. N. iv. i. 4 While I..kisse thy faire large eares, my gentle ioy. 1606 ― Ant. & Cl. i. v. 58 His remembrance lay In Egypt with his ioy. 1789 Blake Songs Innoc., Infant Joy 7 Pretty joy! Sweet joy but two days old. 1875 B. L. Farjeon Love's Vict. xxv, She instructed her eldest joy how to behave. 1876 Whitby Gloss. s.v., ‘My bonny joy!’ my pretty dear. |
† 4. The quality which causes joy; quality or faculty of delighting;
= delight n. 3.
Obs. rare.
| a 1400 Pistill of Susan 41 Þus þis dredful demers on dayes þider drewe, Al for gentrise and Ioye of þat Iewesse. 1483 Cath. Angl. 197/2 Ioy,..amenitas. |
† 5. Joyful adoring praise and thanksgiving;
= glory 4. Rendering L.
glōria (
Gr. δόξα),
esp. in the doxologies.
Obs. When
OE. wuldor, early
ME. wulder, became
obs., and L.
gloria,
OF. glorie,
gloire, was not yet adopted,
Eng. had no word distinctly representing L.
gloria. Hence
bliss and
joy were used naturally at first of the glory of heaven (see sense 2 above,
bliss 2 c,
glory 4), and extended to this sense in which
gloria,
gloire represent
Gr. δόξα:
cf. bliss 3.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 11260 On hei be ioi, and pes on lagh. c 1374 Chaucer Boeth. v. pr. vi. 139 (Camb. MS.) Þe Iuge þat seeþ and demeþ alle þinges. (To whom be goye and worshipe bi Infynyt tymes Amen.) 1387 Trevisa Higden (Rolls) VII. 289 Gloria Patri etc. þat is, Ioye to þe Fadir. a 1400 Prymer (1891) 17 Ioyȝe be to the fadir, and to the sone, and to the holy goost. 1483 Cath. Angl. 197/2 Ioy, adoria..doxa, doxula. |
† 6. a. A jewel. (F.
joie,
Godef.)
Obs.| 1599 Breton Miseries Manillia ii, Here my sweete Mistresse, take this Pearle-ioye Set it in the ring that hangeth at mine eare. 1611 Florio, Gioia, a ioy, a gemme, a iewell. |
† b. In E. Indian use from
Pg. joia.
Obs.| 1800 Asiat. Ann. Reg., Chron. 17/1 Shaik Ishmail was convicted of breaking into the house of Pittamber Narrain, and stealing from thence a variety of gold and silver joys. 1809 M. Graham Jrnl. Resid. India (1812) 3 To murder these helpless creatures for the sake of their ornaments or joys. 1824 Sk. India (ed. 2) 78 Groups of dancing-girls, covered with joys. |
7. Astrol. Joys of the Planets: see
quots.| [a 1400–50 Alexander 704 And how þe mode Marcure makis sa mekill ioy.] 1658 Phillips, Joyes of the Planets, are when they are in those houses where they are most powerful and strong, as Saturn joyeth in Scorpio. 1706 Phillips, Joys of the Planets..are certain Dignities that befall them, either by being in the place of a Planet of like Quality or Condition, or when they are in a House of the Figure agreeable to their own Nature. 1819 J. Wilson Compl. Dict. Astrol., Joys of the Planets..Every planet, according to Ptolemy, is in his joy when another is dignified in any of his dignities... They are also said in modern astrology to have their joys in certain houses according to their nature, whether good or evil, thus {saturn} joys in the 12{supt}{suph}, {jup} in the 11{supt}{suph}. |
† 8. Isolated obsolete uses.
a. A stage-play.
| c 1440 Promp. Parv. 264/1 Ioy, or pley þat begynnythe wythe sorow, and endythe wythe gladnes, comedia. Ioy, or pley þat begynnythe wythe gladnesse, and endythe wythe sorow, tragedia. |
b. (See
quot.)
| 1600 J. Dymmok Ireland (1843) 9 Joye is when their idle men require meat and drinke out of meale tymes..it is as much to say as a benevolence. |
9. In various phrases:
† a. to have joy of, to be highly pleased or delighted with.
† b. to make joy, to rejoice. With indirect
obj., To give a glad welcome.
† c. to take joy, to take pleasure, be glad, rejoice.
d. to wish (arch. give) one († the) joy of, to express sympathetic joy or give one's good wishes to a person on a happy occasion; to congratulate. Often
ironical.
Cf. joy v. 5 b.
e. God give you joy,
joy go with you, etc., ejaculations expressive of good wishes.
| a. 1297 R. Glouc. (Rolls) 253 Al þe kun þat him iseiȝ adde of him ioye inou. c 1386 Chaucer Melib. ¶768 They were so..rauysshed and hadden so greet ioye of hire, that wonder was to telle. c 1450 Merlin 184 Whan Gawein vndirstode the speche of his brother, he hadde of hym hertely ioye, and moche he hym preysed. 1586 A. Day Eng. Secretary ii. (1625) 60, I trust you shall have joy of me, and..I doubt not but so to behave my selfe, that I shall well deserve this good liking..of my master. |
| b. c 1300 Havelok 1209 Hise children..maden ioie swiþe mikel. c 1320 Cast. Love 1771 in Minor Poems fr. Vernon MS., The apostlys and the martiris, The confessors and the virginis, Alle wolle him ioy makyn. 1483 Caxton Gold. Leg. 79/1 Thenne ranne the dogge..and cam home as a messager fawnyng and makyng ioye with hys tail. 1590 Spenser F.Q. i. iii. 32 Such ioy made Vna when her knight she found. |
| c. 1600 Shakes. A.Y.L. iv. i. 90 Ros. Am not I your Rosalind? Orl. I take some ioy to say you are. 1611 ― Wint. T. v. i. 80 Such As..it should take ioy To see her in your armes. |
| d. 1599 Shakes. Much Ado ii. i. 200, I wish him ioy of her. 1631 T. Adams in Lett. Lit. Men (Camden) 147, I wish you much joy in the execution of that hopefull employment. 1638 W. Mountagu in Buccleuch MSS., Montagu Ho. (Hist. MSS. Comm.) I. 277 Sir Christ. Yerlverton gave him first joy of his office. c 1710 C. Fiennes Diary (1888) 141 Ye Earle having just marry'd his Eldest daughter..there was Company to wishe her joy. 1806–7 J. Beresford Miseries Hum. Life (1826) iv. Introd., I give you joy of having found out that. 1855 Thackeray Newcomes ii, Newcome, my boy..I give you joy. 1885 J. Payn Heir Ages xlvi, You will even go the length of wishing them joy of their bargain. |
| e. a 1440 Sir Eglam. 608 Syr, yf you yoye of yowre chylde. c 1460 Towneley Myst. xiii. 550 So god..gyf me Ioy of my chylde! 1588 Shakes. L.L.L. v. ii. 448 God giue thee ioy of him. 1596 ― Merch. V. iii. ii. 190 To cry good ioy, good ioy my Lord and Lady. 1603 ― Meas. for M. v. i. 532 Ioy to you Mariana. 1742 Pope Dunc. iv. 54 Joy to great Chaos! let Division reign. 1824–46 Landor Imag. Conv. Wks. I. 171 There we leave her, and joy go with her. |
10. Comb. objective and
obj. genitive, as
joy-killer,
joy-maker;
joy-bringing,
joy-dispelling,
joy-inspiring adjs.; instrumental, etc., as
joy-bright,
joy-encompassed,
joy-rapt,
joy-resounding,
joy-wrung adjs.;
joy-bereft,
joy-mixt adjs.;
attrib., of or expressing joy, as
joy-gift,
joy-night,
joy-note,
joy-offering,
joy-tear;
joy-bells,
-fire, bells rung, or a bonfire lighted [F.
feu de joie], to celebrate a joyful event;
joy-firing, lighting of joy-fires; the firing of celebratory shots (
cf. feu de joie 2);
joy-flight, an aerial joy-ride; so
joy-flying;
joy-gun, a gun fired to celebrate a joyful event;
joy-house slang, a brothel;
joy juice U.S. slang, alcoholic drink;
† joy-making, merrymaking;
joy-plank, a plank leading from the stage to the audience in a theatre, for the use of performers;
joy-popper slang (
orig. U.S.), an occasional taker of illegal drugs; hence [back-formations]
joy-pop, (an inhalation or injection of) a drug;
joy-pop v. intr.,
joy-popping vbl. n.;
† joy-sop, a sop made by dipping cake in wine;
joy-stick, (
a)
slang, the control-lever of an aeroplane; the controls of another vehicle; also
attrib.,
transf., and
fig.; (
b) a small lever that can be moved in each of two dimensions to control the movement of an image on a television or VDU screen; also
Comb.;
joy-weed, a plant of the genus
Alternanthera (Miller
Plant-n. 1884);
joy-wheel, a form of amusement consisting of either (
a) a gigantic wheel-shaped structure, as on a fairground, on which passengers are carried in cars rotating round the axis, or (
b) (see
quot. 1954).
| 1836 Mayne Siller Gun v. xliv, When now, in tune, The *joy-bells chime. 1894 F. M. Elliot Roman Gossip i, Every church echoes joy-bells to the deep boom of Saint Peter's. |
| 1586 Warner Alb. Eng. i. ii, Cybell, *ioy-bereft, And Vesta..Did both lament. |
| 1744 Akenside Pleas. Imag. iii. 91 Chief the glance Of wishful envy draws their *joy-bright eyes. |
| c 1600 Davison Ps. cxxv, Peace, *joy-bringing peace And plentie shall for euer dwell With God's owne chosen Israell. |
| 1811 W. R. Spencer Poems 54 Through all her *joy-deserted seats. |
| 1871 B. Taylor Faust (1875) II. iii. 169 The *joy-encompassed path of Song. |
| 1845 Carlyle Cromwell (1871) I. 53 Old London was..in a blaze with *joy-fires. |
| 1864 ― Fredk. Gt. xvii. vii, Such a ‘*joy-firing’ for Lobositz. 1926 T. E. Lawrence Seven Pillars (1935) cxvii. 635 The shooting he heard was joy-firing. |
| 1923 Daily Mail 7 Aug. 8/2 The ‘*joy flights’ in three-seater Avros, at 5s. a time. 1928 Daily Express 3 July 12 Strict regulations were made against joy-flights during the war. |
| 1851 Mrs. Browning Casa Guidi Wind. ii. 123 And foiled The *joy-guns of their echo. |
| 1940 R. Chandler Farewell, my Lovely iii. 24, I ain't been in a *joy house in twenty years. 1970 ‘B. Mather’ Break in Line iii. 43 All right—so you're a sailor in a joy-house with a sore foot. |
| 1819 Shelley Cyclops 170 The Bacchic dew Of *joy-inspiring grapes. |
| 1960 Wentworth & Flexner Dict. Amer. Slang 297/2 *Joy-juice, liquor. 1974 Black World Mar. 56/2 He could hear the others as in a dream, laughing, telling dirty jokes, playing cards and swizzling joy⁓juice. |
| 1858 Doran Crt. Fools 336 To place..the German fools or *joy-makers before a foreign public. |
| c 1330 R. Brunne Chron. (1810) 56 In alle his *joy makyng..He felle dede doun colde as any stone. |
| 1748 Thomson Cast. Indol. i. xlvii, Oh..fill with pious awe and *joy-mixt woe the heart. |
| 1925 T. Dreiser Amer. Tragedy I. i viii. 53 Being invited by them to a *joy-night supper—a ‘blow-out’ as they termed it..he decided to go. 1928 Daily Mail 7 Aug. 12/7 It was a ‘joy night’, although many people were still unable to believe that they could..buy a packet of cigarettes openly. |
| 1898 Athenæum 27 Aug. 281/3 No *joy-peal was rung. |
| 1924 Illustr. London News 27 Dec. 1265/2 The picture of the Grand Ballet at Florence in 1616..shows a method of presentation which was in vogue here in Revues a year or two ago, and is still continued in the Cabarets; performers leaving the stage by means of steps and ‘*joy-planks’. 1970 J. B. Priestley Edwardians iii. 247 (caption) Shirley Kellogg leading the chorus along the joy plank in Hullo Ragtime! at the London Hippodrome in 1912. |
| 1939 Detective Fiction Weekly 18 Mar. 59/1 If you should happen to hear anybody speaking of a suey⁓pow or a *joy-pop or of gowing out the lemon bowl,..bring him right here. 1951 Time 26 Feb. 24/3 A sniff of heroin is a ‘snort of horse’, and an injection under the skin a ‘joy pop’. 1954 Beckhardt & Brown Violators viii. 238 Every now and then he would ‘joy-pop’ (take an occasional injection) but he thought he could avoid the ‘hook’ (addiction) by ‘spacing his shots’. 1962 K. Orvis Damned & Destroyed v. 41, I take a joy-pop once in a while. Ibid. vii. 51 So you're handling a bit of hot stuff as well as joy-popping? 1964 D. Warner Death of Dreamer i. i. 8 Each junkie is taking an average of twenty joy-pops a day. The joy-pops are sold in one-grain packets, called decks by the junkies. |
| 1936 Amer. Speech XI. 123/1 *Joy-popper, a person, not a confirmed addict, who indulges in an occasional shot of dope. However, joy-popping is usually the beginning of a permanent addiction. If the joy-popper has trouble establishing the desire and pleasure from indulging it, he is called a student. 1949 N. Algren Man with Golden Arm i. 24 They called those using the stuff only occasionally ‘joy-poppers’ and wished them all great joy. For the ‘joy-poppers’ had no intention of becoming addicts in the true sense. 1972 J. Brown Chancer ii. 30 The weekend ravers and joy-poppers..for whom smoke and amphetamines alone were not enough. |
| 1648 Herrick Hesper., Twelfe Night iii, Let us make *Joy-sops with the cake. |
| 1910 R. Loraine Diary 9 Apr. in W. Loraine Robert Loraine (1938) vi. 105 In order that he shall not blunder inadvertently into the air, the central lever—otherwise the cloche, or *joy-stick is tied well forward. 1916 Joy-stick [see control lever]. 1932 Auden Orators ii. 52 Joystick—Pivot of power And responder to pressure And grip for the glove. 1936 Amer. Speech XI. 123/1 Joy stick, an opium pipe. 1948 Partridge Dict. Forces' Slang 104 Joysticks, the two levers by which the steering of tanks and some other tracked vehicles was controlled. 1950 G. Barker News of World 44 My love, my love, lift up your joystick hand. Dismiss the dividing Grief. 1952 A. Tustin Automatic & Manual Control 467 Both hands held at approximately elbow height a joystick that could be rotated or deflected about a universal coupling, to control the spot movement in elevation and traverse. Ibid. 468 The joystick controlled the movements of the spotlight. 1964 S. Duke-Elder Parsons' Dis. Eye (ed. 14) x. 98 (caption) Joystick lever for horizontal course and fine adjustments. 1967 Times Rev. Industry Mar. 43/3 The system is simply operated by a keyboard and joystick—no computer programming knowledge is needed. 1969 G. Macbeth War Quartet 34 Easing the joy-sticks to their mid-riffs. 1978 J. Miller Body in Question (1982) viii. 339 By using a joystick, subjects can track a moving spot on a television set with a follow spot of their own. 1983 Your Computer (Austral.) Aug. 14/2 Standard features of the Fox-640 include a Forth programming system card, joystick port, [etc.]. 1985 Personal Computer World Feb. 244/3 The game is joystick-controlled and has three skill levels. |
| 1911 Oxford Times 9 Sept. 10/6 A new form of amusement to Oxford, known as the ‘*Joy Wheel’. 1942 ‘M. Innes’ Daffodil Affair i. i. 7 Perhaps twenty times it passed to and fro, as if outside some great joy-wheel were oscillating idly in a derelict amusement park. 1954 Engineer 27 Aug. 282/2 A once-popular novelty, now obsolete, was the ‘Joywheel’, or ‘Devil's Disc’. This consisted of a power-driven spinning disc, slightly domed and having a smooth surface. It was surrounded by a stationary padded circular platform, which in turn was surrounded by a padded wall. Riders sat on the disc while it was stationary and, as it accelerated, were eventually thrown off against the padding. 1968 D. Braithwaite Fairground Archit. 65 A panoramic ‘Joy Wheel’ using kinetoscope effects to create the illusion of a race between motor-car and train. |
▪ II. joy, v. (
dʒɔɪ)
Forms: 3–6
ioyen, 4–5
ioie(n, 4–7
ioye,
ioy, (5
ioi), 7
joye, 7–
joy.
[ME. a. OF. joir to rejoice, enjoy, welcome, etc., F. jouir = Pr. gaudir, gauzir, jauzir:—pop.L. *gaudīre = L. gaudēre to rejoice.] † 1. refl. To experience joy; to find or take pleasure; to enjoy oneself; to rejoice.
Obs.| c 1260 Somer is comen in Rel. Ant. I. 100 This day beginniz to longe, And this foules everichon joye hem wit songe. 1614 Meriton Chr. Assur. House 13 To joy our selves in things uncertaine is but an induction of griefe. 1712 Addison Spect. No. 517 ¶2 He has never joyed himself since. |
2. intr. To feel or manifest joy; to be glad; to rejoice, exult.
Occas. with
it or cognate
obj.| a 1300 Cursor M. 17976 Wiþ cry þei ioyeden euerychone. a 1325 Prose Psalter xl[i]. 12 Myn enemy ne shal nouȝt ioien up me. 1483 Caxton Gold. Leg. 387/1 Al the celestyal courte ioyed and songen thys verce. a 1533 Ld. Berners Huon xliv. 147, I shall neuer ioy in my herte vnto the tyme I haue slayne the. 1602 Narcissus (1893) 422 Ah, the poore rascall, never ioyd it since. 1605 Chapman All Fooles i. i, To ioy one ioy, and thinke both one thought, Liue both one life. 1715–20 Pope Iliad iii. 37 So joys a lion, if the branching deer Or mountain-goat, his bulky prize, appear. 1885 M. E. Braddon Wyllard's Weird xxiv, She had..sympathised and sorrowed and joyed with them. |
b. To rejoice or delight:
const. in (
† of,
at,
with),
to do something, or with clause.
| 1303 R. Brunne Handl. Synne 1990 Makayre ioyede þat þey were so stable. a 1340 Hampole Psalter v. 14 Ioy sall all in þe þat lufis þi name. c 1450 tr. De Imitatione iii. iii. 66 Þei ioy more at vanyte þan þou at trouþe. c 1470 Henryson Mor. Fab. iii. (Cock & Fox) 537 Prydfull he was, and joyit of his sin. 1495 Trevisa's Barth. De P.R. xviii. lxxxii. (W. de W.) Ff ij b/2 Some bestys Ioye of theyr owne colours. 1549 Coverdale, etc. Erasm. Par. 1 Pet. iv. 11 If they do repent, it is to be ioyed at. 1590 Marlowe 2nd Pt. Tamburl. v. iii, I joy, my lord, your highness is so strong. 1690 Child Disc. Trade (1694) 255 This is sufficient to make us little to joy in foreigners money. 1741 Richardson Pamela II. 345 O my good old Acquaintances, said I, I joy to see you. 1837 Howitt Rur. Life iii. vi. (1862) 274 Back to the scenes in which he early joyed. |
c. Astrol. Of a planet: see
joy n. 7.
| 1658, 1819 [see joy n. 7]. 1855 Smedley Occult Sci. 311 Cogent reasons are given why the planets should joy in these houses rather than others. |
† d. trans. To rejoice at.
Obs.| 1602 Warner Alb. Eng. ix. xlv, Edward Duke of Buckingham, whose end That Prelate ioyde, the people moend. 1607 Tourneur Rev. Trag. iv. ii. Wks. 1878 II. 105 Thou shalt not joy his death. 1647 R. Stapylton Juvenal xv. 86, I joy it, and I thinke it self does so. |
3. trans. To fill with joy; to gladden, delight.
† a. quasi-impers.: with
of or clause.
Obs.| 1303 R. Brunne Handl. Synne 12110 The syxte grace of shryfte to neuene Hyt ioyeth alle þe court of heuene. c 1400 Destr. Troy 214 It Ioyes me, Iason, of þi iust werkes. c 1590 Greene Fr. Bacon x. 20 It joys me that such men..should lay their liking on this base estate. 1651 Cromwell in Ellis Orig. Lett. Ser. ii. III. 366 It joyes mee to heere thy soule prospereth. 1703 Rowe Fair Penit. i. i. 320 It joys my heart that I have found you. |
b. With ordinary subject.
arch.| c 1450 Cov. Myst. (Shaks. Soc.) 68 God wol be man, Mankend to save, and that joyth me. 1573 Tusser Husb. (1878) 68 For his sake that ioyed vs all with his birth. 1667 Pepys Diary 2 Sept., Which did mightily joy me. 1807–8 W. Irving Salmag. ix. (1860) 209 O, how these strangers joy'd my sight. 1845 A. M. Hall Whiteboy ix. 76 The barrel was..smooth enough to joy the heart of a Red Indian. |
† c. pass..
to be joyed, to be rejoiced or delighted, to find joy or delight.
Obs.| 1382 Wyclif Ecclus. xxv. 10 A man that is ioȝid [L. jucundatur, 1388 is myrie] in sones lyuende. 1486 Surtees Misc. (1888) 53 Gretely gladdit and joyed of the commyng of his moost riall persone. 1617 Moryson Itin. ii. 273 How joied we are that so good event hath followed. 1676 Hobbes Iliad xix. 165, I am joy'd The counsel you have given us to hear. 1725 Pope Odyss. vii. 355 My soul was joy'd in vain; For angry Neptune rouz'd the raging main. |
4. To derive enjoyment from; to possess or use with enjoyment; to enjoy.
† Formerly, also, in weaker sense, To have the use or benefit of:
= enjoy 4,
joise 2.
a. trans. arch.| c 1320 Sir Tristr. 47 A forward fast þai bond Þat ich a man schul ioien his. c 1400 Apol. Loll. 77 He schal ioi it as his oune. 1515 Barclay Egloges iv. (1570) C iv/2, I graunt thee Codrus to ioy my armony. 1590 Spenser F.Q. ii. x. 53 Him succeded Marius, Who ioyd his dayes in great tranquillity. 1667 Milton P.L. ix. 1166 Who might have liv'd and joy'd immortal bliss. 1700 Dryden Cymon & Iph. 544, I will be there, And join'd by thee intend to joy the fair. 1866 Alger Solit. Nat. & Man iv. 282 He was at home, with the things he joyed. |
† b. intr. with
of. (F.
jouir de.)
Obs.| 1502 Ord. Crysten Men (W. de W. 1506) iv. viii. 189 Who useth, or ioyeth wyttyngely of lettres or of graces so graunted. a 1533 Ld. Berners Gold. Bk. M. Aurel. (1546) B iv b, Yf that age was glorious in ioyeng of his persone, no lesse it is to vs to ioye of his doctrines. 1564 Brief Exam. *iv b, Howe lytle we shall ioy of them, and vse them. |
† 5. trans. To salute or greet with expressions of joy, welcome, or honour; in early use, to give glory to, glorify, extol.
Obs.| 1387–8 T. Usk Test. Love i. x. (Skeat) l. 76 If thou laudest and ioyest any wight, for he is stuffed with soche maner richesse. c 1450 Merlin 579 ‘Sir’, seide Merlin, ‘I wolde ye dide ioy and honour these lordes that here be assembled to diffende youre reame’. 1693 Dryden Persius i. (1697) 412 Met by his trembling Wife, returning home, And Rustically Joy'd, as Chief of Rome. 1725 Pope Odyss. xiv. 489 The faithful servant joy'd his unknown lord. |
† b. To give or wish (a person) joy
of something; to congratulate. Const.
of (
in).
Obs.| 1483 Cath. Angl. 197/2 To Ioy,..coletari..congaudere, gratari. 1603 Knolles Hist. Turks (1621) 885 Embassadours from their neighbour princes, came to joy them of this victorie. 1660 Pepys Diary 22 Aug., In the House..I met with Mr. G. Montagu, and joyed him in his entrance [as M.P.] for Dover. 1701 Rowe Amb. Step-Moth. iv. i. 1578, I come to joy you of a Crown. |
† c. intr. To offer honour or salutation
to.
Obs.| 1482 Monk of Evesham (Arb.) 47 Then this goldsmyth..wyth an enarrabulle gestur and behauing of gladnes ioyde to my leder and..ofte bowde done al hys body worshippyng and greting hym with innumerable thankys. |
† 6. trans. To convert into joy.
Obs. nonce-use.
| 1645 Rutherford Trial & Tri. Faith ix. (1845) 105 To the saints..hell (to speak so), is heavened, sorrow joyed. |
Hence
joyed (
dʒɔɪd)
ppl. a. [
cf. OF. joï rejoiced, delighted], rejoiced, delighted;
† taking delight
in.
| 1491 Act 7 Hen. VII, c. 15 Persones of evyll riotous and sedicious dispositions joyed in rumor and rebellious novelries. 1640 Lady Goring in Lismore Papers Ser. ii. (1888) IV. 150 Truly hee waes the Most Ioyed man in the World. 1655 H. Vaughan Silex Scint. ii. Palm-Sunday ii, Put on your best array; Let the joy'd road make holy-day. 1821 Clare Vill. Minstr. I. 9 Each varied charm how joy'd would he pursue. |