jolly
n.n. happy, cheerful, and full of energy. You use this to describe someone who is friendly and enjoys having fun.
n. characterised by a cheerful and lively mood or disposition. Often used to describe a person's temperament or a festive atmosphere.
The jolly man laughed loudly at the joke.
The office party was a jolly event where everyone forgot about their deadlines for a few hours.
Despite the freezing temperatures outside, the host maintained a jolly demeanor that made every guest feel immediately welcome and at ease.
From Middle English joli, jolif (“merry, cheerful”), from Old French joli, jolif (“merry, joyful”). For the loss of final -f in English, compare tardy, hasty, hussy, etc. It is uncertain whether the Old French word is from Old Norse jól ("a midwinter feast, Yule", hence "fest-ive"), in which case, equivalent to yule + -ive, compare Dutch jolig (“happy, festive, frolicsome, jolly”), West Frisian joelich, joalich (“merry, jolly”), Middle High German jœlich (“hooting, jubilant”). Alternatively, the Old French adjective has been conjectured to derive from a Vulgar Latin gaudivus (from Latin gaudeō, more at joy), in which case it would require Early Old French ⟨d⟩ /ð/ to irregularly become ⟨l⟩ in jolif rather than being dropped, which is the usual case (alternatively, /l/ may be a hiatus filler inserted into expected joïf). A possible parallel of ⟨d⟩ to ⟨l⟩ can be seen in the French name Valois, according to one hypothesis from Latin Vadensis, though this origin is itself uncertain and disputed.
Commonly used as an attributive adjective before a noun; can also function as an intensifier in British English ('jolly good').