Etymograph

English

joy

Joy comes from Old French joie, from Late Latin gaudia (plural of gaudium, misread as feminine singular), from gaudeō ‘to rejoice’.

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEgaudeō1‘to be glad, rejoice’
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEgaudium1
  3. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEgaudia1
  4. Old Frenchc. 842–1400joie1
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500joye1‘joy’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1485joy1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English joy
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1485, Sir Thomas Malory: “for oftymes or this oure lord shewed hym vnto…”.

Lineage

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEgaudeōWiktionary, English joy‘to be glad, rejoice’
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEgaudiumWiktionary, English joy
  3. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEgaudiaWiktionary, English joy
  4. Old Frenchc. 842–1400joieWiktionary, English joy
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500joyeWiktionary, English joy‘joy’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1485joyWiktionary, English joy. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1485, Sir Thomas Malory: “for oftymes or this oure lord shewed hym vnto…”

The story

The noun is from Middle English joye, borrowed from Old French joie, from Late Latin gaudia, neuter plural (mistaken as feminine singular) of Latin gaudium (‘joy’), from gaudēre (‘to be glad, rejoice’).

Full etymology on Wiktionary

Word family

English words that share an ancestor with joy, grouped by the ancestor they share, most familiar first.

through Latin gaudium

  • gaudy ← gaudi ← gaudie

through Old French joie

through Middle English joye

Explore everything descended from gaudeō →

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Today it means

noun A feeling of extreme happiness or cheerfulness, especially related to the acquisition or expectation of something good.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “joy”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Latin gaudeō / joy