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• hilarious •

Pronunciation: hi-læ-ri-ês • Hear it!

Part of Speech: Adjective

Meaning: 1. Screamingly funny, sidesplittingly amusing. 2. Boisterously happy, rollicking, extremely rowdy but enjoyable.

Notes: This word sounds so Latin that I've used it as the name of a Roman writer in Books that should be Written: History of Roman Comedy by Hilarius. Actually, it is a recent word based on a Latin stem (see Word History). The noun that comes with this adjective is hilarity, and the adverb is hilariously.

In Play: Hilarious isn't just funny, it's superfunny: "Did you see the hilarious outfit Maude Lynn Dresser came to work in this morning? It is off the scale!" It can also refer to an overjoyful mood: "The party had become hilarious from the all the singing and drinking by the time the police arrived."

Word History: Today's Good Word is Latin hilaris "happy, merry" which was recently (early 19th century) extended by the suffix -ous. Latin hilaris was borrowed from Greek hilaros "happy, merry, joyous", related to hilaos "graceful, kindly". In ancient Rome, Hilaria were holidays, times of celebration. There were public celebrations to honor of Cybele at the vernal equinox, as well as private ones celebrating a marriage or birth of a son. We come by the feminine proper noun Hilary from what remained of Hilaria by the time it reached French. Another word that Latin made from hilaris, is exhilarare "to gladden, make happy", the past participle of which was exhilaratus, upon which the English word exhilarate is based. (Now let's thank Albert Skiles of the city o' Goshen, Arkansas, for tickling our ribs with today's funny Good Word.)

George Kovac wrote today, "Bob, . . . and of course, there was Pope Hilarius, who reigned from 461 to 468. You cannot make up material this good."

"I was disappointed the current Pope chose 'Francis' instead of reaching back to revive this name, so that when someone says, 'This new pope is kind', I could respond, 'Yes, and he is Hilarius 2.'"

A pastor named Jess Moody once pointed out that in 2 Corinthians 9:7 Paul said God loves a ílarus "giver". Moody further commented that the offering was a low point in a worship service, and they must really have torn the place down at the high points. Of course, most translations come up with "cheerful giver".

If the current pope were to revive a name it should
have been Lando II, especially since a new Star Wars
sequel is coming.

And side splittingly funny is Hilary Clinton, who does
she really think she is fooling?