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Merry

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merry¹

  • /ˈmɛ.ɹi/ UK
  • /ˈmɛ.ɹi/ US
  • /ˈmɛ(ə)ɹ.i/
  • /ˈmeɹ.i/ Australia, New Zealand
  • /ˈmɛɹ.ɪ/ Scotland
  • /ˈmɛɹ.e/ Scotland
  • /ˈmʌɹ.i/

Sounds like Mary, marry (both only in accents with Mary–marry–merry merger), Murray (merry–Murray merger) · Rhymes with -ɛɹi

Where it comes from

From Middle English myrie, merie, mery, from Old English myrġe, myriġe (“pleasing, agreeable; pleasant, sweet, delightful; melodious”), from Proto-West Germanic *murgī (“short, slow, leisurely”), from Proto-Germanic *murguz (“short, slow”), from Proto-Indo-European *mréǵʰus (“short”). Cognate with Scots mery, mirry (“merry”), Middle Dutch mergelijc (“pleasant, agreeable, joyful”), Norwegian dialectal myrjel (“small object, figurine”), Latin brevis (“short, small, narrow, shallow”), Ancient Greek βραχύς (brakhús, “short”). Doublet of brief.

adjective merrier · merriest · merie · merrie · mery

  1. Jolly and full of high spirits; happy. We had a very merry Christmas.
  2. Festive and full of fun and laughter. Everyone was merry at the party.
  3. Brisk. The play moved along at a merry pace.
  4. Causing laughter, mirth, gladness, or delight. a merry jest
  5. euphemistic Drunk; tipsy. Some of us got a little merry at the office Christmas party.

merry²

  • /ˈmɛ.ɹi/ UK
  • /ˈmɛ.ɹi/ US
  • /ˈmɛ(ə)ɹ.i/
  • /ˈmeɹ.i/ Australia, New Zealand
  • /ˈmɛɹ.ɪ/ Scotland
  • /ˈmɛɹ.e/ Scotland
  • /ˈmʌɹ.i/

Sounds like Mary, marry (both only in accents with Mary–marry–merry merger), Murray (merry–Murray merger) · Rhymes with -ɛɹi

Where it comes from

From French merise.

noun merries

  1. An English wild cherry.

Merry³

Sounds like merry, Mary, marry (Mary–marry–merry merger) · Rhymes with -ɛɹi

proper noun

  1. A surname transferred from the nickname. Originally a nickname for a merry person.
  2. A female given name from merry.
  3. A diminutive of the female given name Mercy. 'Is he handsome, Pa?' inquired the younger daughter. 'Silly Merry!' said the eldest: Merry being fond for Mercy. 'What is the premium, Pa? tell us that.'
  4. A diminutive of the male given name Meredith.

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