mirth

/mɜɹθ/

Etymology

From Middle English merth, myrthe, murhthe, from Old English myrġþ (“mirth, joy”), from Proto-West Germanic *murgiþu (“briefness, brevity”); equivalent to merry + -th (abstract nominal suffix). Cognate with Middle Dutch merchte (“pleasure, joy, delight”).

mirth means the emotion usually following humor and accompanied by laughter. Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 72 out of 100.

Why this word is great

MIRTH — [Noun] Gladness or gaiety as shown by or accompanied with laughter. From Middle English merth, myrthe, from Old English myrgþ ("mirth, joy"), from Proto-West Germanic *murgiþu ("briefness"), from the root of merry + the abstract nominal suffix -th. Unlike joy, a deep and abiding reservoir of contentment, or amusement, a flickering and often solitary diversion, mirth is conviviality made audible; it is happiness that has escaped into the air as sound. It is the sudden, collective shout of laughter that erupts from a dinner table, the helpless, shoulder-shaking giggle of children in a blanket fort, and the warm, rumbling chuckle that follows a long-standing jest among friends—a bright, communal flare against life’s gravity, brilliantly ephemeral by its very nature. It is the sound of happiness remembering its own brevity.

noun

The emotion usually following humor and accompanied by laughter.“But sorrow that is couch'd in seeming gladness Is like that mirth fate turns to sudden sadness.”
That which causes merriment.“Phantasmal mirth, folded away: muskperfumed.”