Reveling

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To participate in joyous festivities while experiencing intense pleasure or delight
2. To immerse oneself in celebrations that evoke happiness and exuberance
3. Taking part in spirited festivities filled with fun and excitement

Etymology: "Reveling" is the form of "revel" used with "-ing," and the two halves are worth separating. The verb "revel" comes from Old French "reveler," meaning to rebel or make a riotous noise, which in turn came from Latin "rebellare," to rebel. So the earliest sense of the root was defiance, not festivity; the merriment came later, as wild noisy feasting took on the flavour of the disorder that spilled out of it. The ending is the simpler part. "-ing" is an ordinary English suffix that turns a verb into a participle or a noun, and Middle English speakers attached it to "revel" in the same way they did to countless other verbs. The form "revelynge" is recorded in Middle English, so the combination is old, even if the root's rebellious past is what gives the word its bite.

Synonyms: celebrating, enjoying, delighting, festing, partying

Antonyms: mourning, sorrowing, grieving, lamenting, commiserating