What are the origins of the word 'happy'?

Answer 1

From Online Etymological Dictionary:

hap

c.1205, "chance, luck," from O.N. happ "chance, good luck," from P.Gmc. *khapan (source of O.E. gehæp "convenient, fit"). Meaning "good fortune" is from c.1225.

Where:

c. = circa or "around"

O.N. = Old Norse

P.Gmc. = Proto Germanic

O.E. = Old English

Answer 2

Here is some info on the origin of both words, happy and birthday. The word happy in happy birthday is to state that they want you to have a happy one, like in almost every saying (Happy Halloween, Happy New Year, etc.) related to holidays. In Merry Christmas, Merry means happy, so it would be "Happy" Christmas in other words. If happy wasn't in the saying happy birthday, there would just be Birthday. If instead of happy was Sad, it would be sad birthday, which nobody wants unless you invited a your arch enemy to your party, which nobody would do "I hope". ---- Every holiday starts on one day, and starts again on the exact same day in one year. Birthdays however, have the day officially marked on the day the person who marked it was born. If someone named Joe Ford was born on May 26, 1982, Joe would mark his birthday on May 26. Joe's DOB (Date Of Birth) is May 26, 1982 Your age is really how many of your holidays passed by minus DOB. This is where you get Birthday. Birth is the event that takes place when your born. A day is equal to 24 hours. Since Joe was born on May 26, 1982, The age increases by one on his birthday. Holidays are special days. Therefore, birthdays are days where the person who marked its age increases by one. ---- Did you know that companies or organizations have birthdays and births too? Anniversaries are used instead of birthdays. Births are the days something starts or the company opens its business to the public for the first time. If a new location starts in the same chain as another company, (Example: A new part of the Waffle House opens in Hollywood, California, [I'm not saying it did, I wouldn't know about it if it did] it would share the same Anniversary) it would share the same anniversary. The list below should help you. ---- Word A Word B Meanings Birthday Anniversary Both mean Birthday Birth (DOB) Day of Marriage/Launch/etc. (DOM/L/etc.) Day something starts/is born ---- What's the orgin of the words happy, birth, and day? See the table below. ---- Word Orgin Happy [Middle English, from hap, luck. See http://www.answers.com/topic/hap.] Day [Middle English dai, day, from Old English dæg.] Birth [Middle English, probably of Scandinavian origin.] ---- Now you know all about the orgin Happy Birthday, what they mean in other words, and why we use them. If this wasn't enough, go to http://www.answers.com/ for more. From Beckymax

Answer 3

The old English word was 'eadig' meaning wealth and riches. In the 14th century the word slowly changed to 'hap' meaning chance or fortune. The influence of some other European words changed 'hap' into the word we use today

Answer 4

content.

Joyous, blissful, and elated.

Answer 5

unhappy