glee en · NOUN · etymology 1
Pronunciation
- /ɡliː/
- (Southern-England) audio
- glē
Etymology
From Middle English gle, from Old English glēo, glīġ, glēow, glīw (“glee, pleasure, mirth, play, sport; music; mockery”), from Proto-West Germanic *glīw, from Proto-Germanic *glīwą (“joy, mirth”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰlew- (“to joke, make fun, enjoy”). Cognate with Scots gle, glie, glew (“game, play, sport, mirth, joy, rejoicing, entertainment, melody, music”), Icelandic glý (“joy, glee, gladness”), Ancient Greek χλεύη (khleúē, “joke, jest, scorn”). A poetic word in Middle English, the word was obsolete by 1500, but revived late 18c.
Meanings
-
(uncountable) Joy; happiness; great delight, especially from one's own good fortune or from another's misfortune.
Even without hovering drones, a lurking assassin, a thumping score and a denouement, the real-life story of Edward Snowden, a rogue spy on the run, could be straight out of the cinema. But, as with Hollywood, the subplots and exotic locations may distract from the real message: America’s discomfort and its foes’ glee.
2013 June 29, “Travels and travails”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8842, page 55:I watched with glee while your kings and queens fought for ten decades for the gods they made.
1968, “Sympathy for the Devil”, in The Rolling Stones (music), Beggars Banquet:
- (uncountable) Music; minstrelsy; entertainment.
-
(countable, qualifier:singing) An unaccompanied part song for three or more solo voices, not necessarily merry.
Sometimes they had glees, when Captain Strong’s chest was of vast service, and he boomed out in a prodigious bass, of which he was not a little proud.
1848 November – 1850 December, William Makepeace Thackeray, chapter 23, in The History of Pendennis. […], volume (please specify |volume=I or II), London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1849–1850, →OCLC:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| glees | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
gleecraft · gleek · gleeful · gleesome · gleeless · gleeman · gleefulness · glee-beam · glee club · gleemaiden · gleewoman · gleeish · gleefully
Synonyms
elatedness · merriness · happiness · merriment · gaiety · gaiety · gladness · gayfulness · delightedness · gladsomeness · cheeriness · hilarity · joyousness · delight · joyfulness · joy · liss · blitheness · contentedness · jollity · gleefulness · glee · exuberance · jolliness · joviality · exuberantness · gayness · gleesomeness · jovialness · high spirits · merriment · felicity · elation · cheerfulness · mirth · gloat · contentness · blithesomeness · mirthfulness · mirth · pleasedness
Translations (58)
tl ligaya (Joy; merriment; mirth; gayety; particularly, the mirth enjoyed at a feast) · de Rundgesang (Music; minstrelsy; entertainment) · pt alegria (Joy; merriment; mirth; gayety; particularly, the mirth enjoyed at a feast) · es alegría (Joy; merriment; mirth; gayety; particularly, the mirth enjoyed at a feast) · sv fröjd (Joy; merriment; mirth; gayety; particularly, the mirth enjoyed at a feast) · tl saya (Joy; merriment; mirth; gayety; particularly, the mirth enjoyed at a feast) · pl radość (Joy; merriment; mirth; gayety; particularly, the mirth enjoyed at a feast) · pl zadowolenie (Joy; merriment; mirth; gayety; particularly, the mirth enjoyed at a feast) · uk веселощі (Joy; merriment; mirth; gayety; particularly, the mirth enjoyed at a feast) · ru ликова́ние (Joy; merriment; mirth; gayety; particularly, the mirth enjoyed at a feast) · gl pracer (Joy; merriment; mirth; gayety; particularly, the mirth enjoyed at a feast) · tl tuwa (Joy; merriment; mirth; gayety; particularly, the mirth enjoyed at a feast) · sv glädje (Joy; merriment; mirth; gayety; particularly, the mirth enjoyed at a feast) · eo ĝojo (Joy; merriment; mirth; gayety; particularly, the mirth enjoyed at a feast) · de Rundgesang (An unaccompanied part song for three or more solo voices) · de Fröhlichkeit (Joy; merriment; mirth; gayety; particularly, the mirth enjoyed at a feast) · da jubel (Joy; merriment; mirth; gayety; particularly, the mirth enjoyed at a feast) · tl galak (Joy; merriment; mirth; gayety; particularly, the mirth enjoyed at a feast) · bg радост (Joy; merriment; mirth; gayety; particularly, the mirth enjoyed at a feast) · ar بَهْجَة (Joy; merriment; mirth; gayety; particularly, the mirth enjoyed at a feast) · fi ilo (Joy; merriment; mirth; gayety; particularly, the mirth enjoyed at a feast) · th ความยินดี (Joy; merriment; mirth; gayety; particularly, the mirth enjoyed at a feast) · ru пе́сня (An unaccompanied part song for three or more solo voices) · ca alegria (Joy; merriment; mirth; gayety; particularly, the mirth enjoyed at a feast) · bg ликуване (Joy; merriment; mirth; gayety; particularly, the mirth enjoyed at a feast) · sv munterhet (Joy; merriment; mirth; gayety; particularly, the mirth enjoyed at a feast) · da glæde (Joy; merriment; mirth; gayety; particularly, the mirth enjoyed at a feast) · ru му́зыка (Music; minstrelsy; entertainment) · sh veselje (Joy; merriment; mirth; gayety; particularly, the mirth enjoyed at a feast) · ca joia (Joy; merriment; mirth; gayety; particularly, the mirth enjoyed at a feast) · cs veselost (Joy; merriment; mirth; gayety; particularly, the mirth enjoyed at a feast) · fi riemu (Joy; merriment; mirth; gayety; particularly, the mirth enjoyed at a feast) · nl vrolijkheid (Joy; merriment; mirth; gayety; particularly, the mirth enjoyed at a feast) · da fryd (Joy; merriment; mirth; gayety; particularly, the mirth enjoyed at a feast) · bg веселие (Joy; merriment; mirth; gayety; particularly, the mirth enjoyed at a feast) · cs veselí (Joy; merriment; mirth; gayety; particularly, the mirth enjoyed at a feast) · sh likovanje (Joy; merriment; mirth; gayety; particularly, the mirth enjoyed at a feast) · ru развлече́ния (Music; minstrelsy; entertainment) · fr joie (Joy; merriment; mirth; gayety; particularly, the mirth enjoyed at a feast) · it gioia (Joy; merriment; mirth; gayety; particularly, the mirth enjoyed at a feast) · pdt Freid (Joy; merriment; mirth; gayety; particularly, the mirth enjoyed at a feast) · pt canção (Music; minstrelsy; entertainment) · cs radost (Joy; merriment; mirth; gayety; particularly, the mirth enjoyed at a feast) · el ευωχία (Joy; merriment; mirth; gayety; particularly, the mirth enjoyed at a feast) · ka მხიარულება (Joy; merriment; mirth; gayety; particularly, the mirth enjoyed at a feast) · pt música (Music; minstrelsy; entertainment) · th ความสะใจ (Joy; merriment; mirth; gayety; particularly, the mirth enjoyed at a feast) · it allegria (Joy; merriment; mirth; gayety; particularly, the mirth enjoyed at a feast) · ka ზეიმი (Joy; merriment; mirth; gayety; particularly, the mirth enjoyed at a feast) · ru песнопе́ние (An unaccompanied part song for three or more solo voices) · de Ausgelassenheit (Joy; merriment; mirth; gayety; particularly, the mirth enjoyed at a feast) · ru ра́дость (Joy; merriment; mirth; gayety; particularly, the mirth enjoyed at a feast) · fa شادی (Joy; merriment; mirth; gayety; particularly, the mirth enjoyed at a feast) · uk радість (Joy; merriment; mirth; gayety; particularly, the mirth enjoyed at a feast) · no glede (Joy; merriment; mirth; gayety; particularly, the mirth enjoyed at a feast) · ru весе́лье (Joy; merriment; mirth; gayety; particularly, the mirth enjoyed at a feast) · gl gozo (Joy; merriment; mirth; gayety; particularly, the mirth enjoyed at a feast) · de Freude (Joy; merriment; mirth; gayety; particularly, the mirth enjoyed at a feast)