Mer"ry (m&ebreve;r"r&ybreve;), n. (Bot.) A kind of wild
red cherry.
Mer"ry (?), a.
[Compar. Merrier (?); superl.
Merriest.]
[OE. merie, mirie, murie, merry, pleasant, AS. merge, myrige, pleasant; cf. murge, adv.; prob. akin to OHG. murg, short, Goth.
gamaúrgjan to shorten; cf. L. murcus a coward, who
cuts off his thumb to escape military service; the Anglo-Saxon and English meanings coming from the idea of making the time seem short. Cf. Mirth.]
1. Laughingly gay; overflowing with good humor and good spirits; jovial; inclined to laughter or play ; sportive.
They drank, and were merry with him.
Gen. xliii.
34. I am never merry when I hear sweet music.
Shak. 2. Cheerful; joyous; not sad; happy.
Is
any merry? let him sing
psalms.
Jas. v. 13.
3. Causing laughter, mirth, gladness, or delight; as, a merry jest. "Merry wind and weather."
Spenser.
Merry dancers. See under Dancer. -- Merry men, followers; retainers. [Obs.]
His merie men commanded he
To make him
bothe game and glee.
Chaucer. -- To make merry, to be jovial; to
indulge in hilarity; to feast with mirth. Judg. ix. 27.
Syn. -- Cheerful; blithe; lively; sprightly; vivacious; gleeful; joyous; mirthful; jocund; sportive; hilarious.
Hear it pronounced