different between mirth vs jeer

English

Etymology

From Middle English merth, myrthe, murhthe, from Old English mergþ, mirgþ, myrgþ (“mirth, joy”), from Proto-Germanic *murgiþ? (“briefness, brevity”); equivalent to merry +? -th.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /m???/, [m??]; enPR: mûrth
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /m???/
• Rhymes: -??(?)?

Noun

mirth (usually uncountable, plural mirths)

1. The emotion usually following humour and accompanied by laughter; merriment; jollity; gaiety.
   • 1883, Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island:

     And he began to laugh again, and that so heartily, that, though I did not see the joke as he did, I was again obliged to join him in his mirth.

   • 1912, Willa Cather, The Bohemian Girl:

     Their eyes met and they began to laugh. They laughed as children do when they cannot contain themselves, and can not explain the cause of their mirth to grown people, but share it perfectly together.

2. That which causes merriment.
   • 1922, James Joyce, Ulysses:

     Phantasmal mirth, folded away: muskperfumed.

Synonyms

• (emotion): delight, glee, hilarity, jollity

Antonyms

• (emotion): sadness, gloom

Derived terms

Translations

Middle English

Etymology 1

From Old English myrgþ.

Noun

mirth

1. Alternative form of myrthe

Etymology 2

Derived from myrthe (noun).

Verb

mirth

1. Alternative form of myrthen

English

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /d???/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /d???/
• Rhymes: -??(r)

Etymology 1

Perhaps a corruption of cheer (“to salute with cheers”), taken in an ironical sense; or more probably from Dutch gekscheren (“to jeer”, literally “to shear the fool”), from gek (“a fool”) (see geck) + scheren (“to shear”) (see shear (verb)). Also compare German and Dutch gieren (“to laugh loudly”).

Noun

jeer (plural jeers)

1. A mocking remark or reflection.

   Synonyms: scoff, taunt, flout, jibe, mockery

   • 1711, Jonathan Swift, The Fable of Midas, in The Works of Jonathan Swift, D.D., Vol XII, Sir Walter Scott, ed., Edinburgh: Archibald Constable and Co., 1824, pages 302-5,

     Midas, exposed to all their jeers, Had lost his art, and kept his ears.

Translations

Verb

jeer (third-person singular simple present jeers, present participle jeering, simple past and past participle jeered)

1. (intransitive, jeer at) To utter sarcastic or mocking comments; to speak with mockery or derision; to use taunting language.
2. (transitive, archaic) To mock; treat with mockery; to taunt.

   • And if we cannot jeer them, we jeer ourselves.

Synonyms

• (to utter sarcastic remarks): scoff, sneer
• (to treat with scoffs): deride, flout, gibe, mock, ridicule
• See Thesaurus:mock
• See Thesaurus:deride

Derived terms

• jeeringly

Translations

Etymology 2

Compare gear.

Noun

jeer (plural jeers)

1. (nautical) A gear; a tackle.
2. (nautical, in the plural) An assemblage or combination of tackles, for hoisting or lowering the yards of a ship.

Derived terms

• jeer capstan

Translations

Manx

Etymology

From Old Irish dír (“due, fit, proper”).

Adverb

jeer

1. indeed, verily, truly, actually

Related terms

• jeeragh
• jeerid
• jeerys

Mutation

Semai

Alternative forms

• jer

Etymology

From Proto-Mon-Khmer *?ur ~ *?uur ~ *?u?r ~ *?ir ~ *?i?r (“to descend”). Cognate with Central Mnong j??r, Khmu cù?r, Pear cer, Proto-Palaungic *?uur.

Verb

jeer

1. to fall

Synonyms

• tegòh
• yòòk

Derived terms

References

Somali

Pronunciation

Noun

jeer ?

1. hippopotamus