See also: Glee and g'lée

English

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Pronunciation

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Etymology 1

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From Middle English gle, from Old English glēo, glīġ, glēow, glīw (glee, pleasure, mirth, play, sport; music; mockery), from Proto-West Germanic *glīw, from Proto-Germanic *glīwą (joy, mirth), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰlew- (to joke, make fun, enjoy).

Cognate with Scots gle, glie, glew (game, play, sport, mirth, joy, rejoicing, entertainment, melody, music), Icelandic glý (joy, glee, gladness), Ancient Greek χλεύη (khleúē, joke, jest, scorn). A poetic word in Middle English, the word was obsolete by 1500, but revived late 18c.

Noun

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glee (countable and uncountable, plural glees)

  1. (uncountable) Joy; happiness; great delight, especially from one's own good fortune or from another's misfortune.
    Synonyms: merriment, mirth, gaiety, gloat
    • 1968, “Sympathy for the Devil”, in The Rolling Stones (music), Beggars Banquet:
      I watched with glee while your kings and queens fought for ten decades for the gods they made.
    • 2013 June 29, “Travels and travails”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8842, page 55:
      Even without hovering drones, a lurking assassin, a thumping score and a denouement, the real-life story of Edward Snowden, a rogue spy on the run, could be straight out of the cinema. But, as with Hollywood, the subplots and exotic locations may distract from the real message: America’s discomfort and its foes’ glee.
  2. (uncountable) Music; minstrelsy; entertainment.
  3. (singing, countable) An unaccompanied part song for three or more solo voices, not necessarily merry.
Derived terms
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Translations
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Etymology 2

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From Middle English gleen, glewen, from Old English glēowian (to sing, play an instrument, jest), from Proto-West Germanic *glīwōn, from Proto-Germanic *glīwōną. Cognate with Icelandic glýja (to be gleeful).

Verb

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glee (third-person singular simple present glees, present participle gleeing, simple past and past participle gleed)

  1. To sing a glee (unaccompanied part song).

Anagrams

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Limburgish

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Noun

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glee f

  1. something that is wet because it has been pasted together

See also

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Pennsylvania German

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Etymology

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From Middle High German klein, kleine, from Old High German kleini, from Proto-Germanic *klainiz (shining, fine, splendid, tender), from Proto-Indo-European *gleh₁y- (to cleave, stick). Compare German klein, Dutch klein.

Adjective

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glee

  1. small