Merriam-Webster's Word Central

December 16, 2009

mirth (noun): \MERTH\
What does it mean?: : gaiety accompanied by laughter
How do you use it?: The mirth and merriment of the holiday season made it Tyrone's favorite time of year.
Are you a word wiz?: "Mirth" is a word with some lasting power. What kind of merriment do you think was taking place when "mirth" made its first appearance in English?

A. The 17th English gentry were giving balls and throwing card parties.

B. The 13th century audiences watched knights in jousting tournaments.

C. The 9th century Chinese Tang emperors listened to music in their palaces.

D. The ancient Greeks were going to the theater to see the latest comedies.

Around the same time that the Tang dynasty was starting to wind down in China, the word "mirth" was starting to pick up in English. The first recorded use of "mirth" in English texts was around 888 A.D., in a translation by King Ælfred of a Latin book. It has been used without interruption since then. The adjective "merry," closely related to the word "mirth," was introduced into English at the same time as its cousin. King Ælfred used "merry" in the same book, just a few sections away from his first use of "mirth."

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