Etymologically
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joyeux

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ʒwa.jø/[1]

Forms

joyeux (feminine joyeuse, masculine plural joyeux, feminine plural joyeuses)[1] Old French feminine goiuse (about 1050), joiuse (1080), masculine joüs, joieus (about 1200); the spelling joyeux is from about 1360–1375, in Froissart.[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is formed from French joie + -eux.[5][1] The noun continues Latin gaudia, the neuter plural of gaudium (“joy”), common in familiar Latin and taken as a feminine singular.[6] The Grand Robert compares Latin iūcundus,[4] and Wiktionary gaudiōsus;[1] Littré thought that Latin iocōsus (“playful”) might also have played a part.[7] Cognate with Occitan joyos and Italian gioioso.[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Vie de saint Alexis (about 1050) has the feminine goiuse for a person who feels joy; about 1100 the Chanson de Roland names Charlemagne's sword Joiuse, “the joyful one”.[5][2]

Semantic evolution

The sense “full of joy, breathing joy” appears in Chrétien de Troyes's Yvain (1172), and about 1200 the Châtelain de Coucy uses it of what expresses joy.[5][2] From the sense “bringing joy” came joyeux advenement, the joyful accession of a king, in Froissart, and the old droit de joyeux avènement, a tax paid to a new king.[5][7] Mener joyeuse vie, to lead a life of pleasure, is recorded by Furetière in 1690, and un joyeux luron in the 20th century.[2] As a noun it once named a pastry (1469); by antiphrasis les joyeux were the soldiers of the African disciplinary battalions (1855), and in slang les joyeuses are the testicles (1881).[3][8]

Timeline

  • c. 1050 – Goiuse in the Vie de saint Alexis.[5]
  • c. 1100 – Joiuse, the name of Charlemagne's sword.[5]
  • 1172 – “Full of joy”, in Chrétien de Troyes.[5]
  • c. 1360–1375 – The spelling joyeux.[2][3]
  • 1469 – A pastry called joyeux.[3]
  • 1690 – Mener joyeuse vie, in Furetière.[2]
  • 1855 – Joyeux, a soldier of the African disciplinary companies.[3]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Feeling joy; Joyful, merry: ils sont partis joyeux.[9][5]
  2. Fond of laughing and enjoying oneself: un joyeux luron, une joyeuse bande.[9][2]
  3. Expressing joy: des cris joyeux, une joyeuse ambiance.[9][2]
  4. Bringing joy: une joyeuse nouvelle, joyeux Noël ![9][7]
  5. Mener joyeuse vie: to lead a life of pleasure.[9][7]

Noun

  1. (military slang, dated) A soldier of the African light infantry battalions (bataillons d'Afrique).[8][3]
  • joie
  • joyeusement
  • joyeuseté
  • réjouir
  • rabat-joie
  • Latin gaudium

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  3. ^ a b c d e f Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
  6. ^ Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  7. ^ a b c d e Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  8. ^ a b Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
  9. ^ a b c d e Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert