Gladsomnesse

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Archaic term for a joyful, cheerful state of mind marked by happiness and delight
2. An old-fashioned word meaning the quality of being merry, glad and full of cheer
3. Obsolete noun describing a feeling of happiness and lighthearted pleasure in one's spirit

Etymology: "Gladsomnesse" is an older spelling of "gladsomeness," the noun for the state of being gladsome, or joyful. It is built from three English parts. "Glad" originally meant "bright" or "shining" in Old English, and only later took on the sense of pleasure, so the root once described light before it described feeling. The suffix "-some" meant "full of" or "characterized by," as in "handsome" and "lonesome," and "-ness" turns the adjective into a noun. The final "-e" in this spelling reflects the spelling conventions of Middle English and early modern writing, when many English nouns were written with a terminal "e" that no longer sounded. Later writers standardized the form to "gladsomeness."