GNU Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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1.       
   jovial , a. [F., fr. L. Jovialis pertaining to Jove. The planet Jupiter was thought to make those born under it joyful or jovial. See Jove.]
   1913 Webster
   [capitalized] Of or pertaining to the god, or the planet, Jupiter. [Obs.]
   1913 Webster
   Our jovial star reigned at his birth.
   Shak.
   
   1913 Webster
   The fixed stars astrologically differenced by the planets, and esteemed Martial or Jovial according to the colors whereby they answer these planets.
   Sir T. Browne.
   
   1913 Webster
   Sunny; serene. [Obs.] “The heavens always joviall.” 
   Spenser.
   
   1913 Webster
   Gay; merry; joyous; jolly; mirth-inspiring; hilarious; characterized by mirth or jollity; as, a jovial youth; a jovial company; a jovial poem.
   1913 Webster
   Be bright and jovial among your guests.
   Shak.
   
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   His odes are some of them panegyrical, others moral; the rest are jovial or bacchanalian.
   Dryden.
   
   1913 Webster
   ☞ This word is a relic of the belief in planetary influence. Other examples are saturnine, mercurial, martial, lunatic, etc.
   Syn. -- Merry; joyous; gay; festive; mirthful; gleeful; jolly; hilarious.
   1913 Webster