cheer

cheer
\ \ [13] Originally, cheer meant ‘face’. It came via Anglo-Norman chereface’ and late Latin caraface’ from Greek kárāhead’. As often happens, ‘face’ was taken as a metaphor of the mental condition causing the expression on it, so ‘be of good cheer’ came to mean ‘be in a good mood’; and gradually cheer grew to be used on its own for ‘happy frame of mind, cheerfulness’. It first appears in the sense ‘shout of applause or encouragement’ at the start of the 18th century, when Daniel Defoe identifies it as a nautical usage.

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

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  • cheer — cheer·er; cheer·ful; cheer·ful·ize; cheer·ful·ly; cheer·ful·ness; cheer·i·ly; cheer·i·ness; cheer·ing·ly; cheer·io; cheer·less; cheer·less·ly; cheer·less·ness; cheer; en·cheer; ma·cheer; cheer·ly; un·cheer·ful·ness; …   English syllables

  • Cheer — (ch[=e]r), n. [OE. chere face, welcome, cheer, OF. chiere, F. ch[ e]re, fr. LL. cara face, Gr. ka ra head; akin to Skr. [,c]iras, L. cerebrum brain, G. hirn, and E. cranium.] 1. The face; the countenance or its expression. [Obs.] Sweat of thy… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • cheer on — ˌcheer ˈon [transitive] [present tense I/you/we/they cheer on he/she/it cheers on present participle cheering on past tense …   Useful english dictionary

  • cheer up — {v.} 1. To feel happy; stop being sad or discouraged; become hopeful, joyous, or glad. * /Jones was sad at losing the business, but he cheered up at the sight of his daughter./ * /Cheer up! The worst is over./ 2. To make cheerful or happy. * /The …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • cheer up — {v.} 1. To feel happy; stop being sad or discouraged; become hopeful, joyous, or glad. * /Jones was sad at losing the business, but he cheered up at the sight of his daughter./ * /Cheer up! The worst is over./ 2. To make cheerful or happy. * /The …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • Cheer Up! — Cheer Up Studio album by Reel Big Fish Released June 25, 2002 …   Wikipedia

  • cheer — [n1] happiness animation, buoyancy, cheerfulness, cheeriness, comfort, delight, encouragement, exuberance, gaiety, geniality, gladness, glee, good cheer, hilarity, hopefulness, jauntiness, jocundity, joy, joyousness, lightheartedness, liveliness …   New thesaurus

  • cheer´i|ly — cheer|y «CHIHR ee», adjective, cheer|i|er, cheer|i|est. cheerful; pleasant; bright; gay: »a cheery smile. Sunshine and the singi …   Useful english dictionary

  • cheer|y — «CHIHR ee», adjective, cheer|i|er, cheer|i|est. cheerful; pleasant; bright; gay: »a cheery smile. Sunshine and the singi …   Useful english dictionary

  • Cheer — Cheer, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Cheered} (ch[=e]rd); p. pr. & vb. n. {cheering}.] 1. To cause to rejoice; to gladden; to make cheerful; often with up. Cowpe. [1913 Webster] 2. To infuse life, courage, animation, or hope, into; to inspirit; to solace… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Cheer — Cheer, v. i. 1. To grow cheerful; to become gladsome or joyous; usually with up. [1913 Webster] At sight of thee my gloomy soul cheers up. A. Philips. [1913 Webster] 2. To be in any state or temper of mind. [Obs.] [1913 Webster] How cheer st thou …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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