"lucky," from hap "chance, fortune" (as in "haphazard"), sense of "very glad" first recorded c.1390. Ousted O.E. eadig (from ead "wealth, riches") and gesælig, which has become silly. From Gk. to Ir., a great majority of the European words for "happy" at first meant "lucky." An exception is Welsh, where the word used first meant "wise."
Cool...I love entymology. Used to spend a lot of time going through the dictionary looking up word entymology when I was a "troubled teen"...Being grounded a lot gave me A LOT of time. I probably read through most of the Encyclopedia Brittanica...LOL!!!
Happy is a word that seems fleeting at the moment...
no subject
Date: Jan. 28th, 2004 03:01 am (UTC)From:no subject
Date: Jan. 28th, 2004 07:03 am (UTC)From:Entymology...
Date: Jan. 28th, 2004 08:05 am (UTC)From:Happy is a word that seems fleeting at the moment...
Blue!
no subject
Date: Jan. 28th, 2004 08:55 am (UTC)From:no subject
Date: Jan. 28th, 2004 09:03 am (UTC)From:LOL!!! Now how did that "n" get in there. (blush!)