In Roman mythology, Jove, also known as Jupiter, is the god of the sky. (Why the two names? "Jove" is the older one; both are from Latin.) In the myths, Jove is the one who rules the skies, wielding the power of the thunderbolt. He's the Roman equivalent of Zeus, from Greek myth.

Naturally, when the ancient Romans were naming all the planets they could see, they picked Jove/Jupiter, the god-of-the-skies character, for the most glorious-looking planet. Flash forward to today, and NASA's images show in brilliant detail what the ancients already knew: that Jupiter is the most epic, most ferociously beautiful, most king-of-the-gods planets out there. (On a personal note, I got to peek at it once through a telescope midway up a mountain in Hawaii; I've never been the same since.)

So, if you call something Jove-like, or jovial, you could mean that it's majestic, like the planet, or like the mythic god. That's the oldest meaning of "jovial" in English.

But thanks to the long history and enduring popularity of astrology, people most often use "jovial" to mean "like someone born under the planet Jupiter." These people are thought (by astrology-lovers) to be jolly, merry, happy, and good-natured.

Part of speech:

Adjective: "a jovial man;" "His smile is wide and jovial."

Other forms: 

The adverb is "jovially." 

The noun is "joviality." Or, if you like, "jovialness."

If you need an adjective that clearly means "related to the planet Jupiter," use "Jovian." That's what NASA does.

how to use it:

Pick the lofty, happy, scholarly-sounding, semi-common word "jovial" to describe people who seem to always be in a good mood, or having a great time. You don't have to love astrology to love this word!

You might talk about jovial people, moods, smiles, shouts, attitudes, or atmospheres.

It's worth noticing that, thanks to its origin in Roman myth, or maybe thanks to how many times it's been applied to Santa Claus, the word "jovial" often connotes masculinity, as well as maturity or authority. We're more likely to talk about a jovial man or fellow than a jovial girl, woman, or lady, or even a jovial boy.

examples:

"Jovial Man Must Not Be Aware He Works At Airport Burrito Restaurant" 
   — Headline in The Onion, 31 August 2012

"Hours later, the common room had a warm, jovial feel to it. Kote was kneeling on the hearth, building up the fire."  
   — Patrick Rothfuss, The Name of the Wind, 2007

has this page helped you understand "jovial"?

Awesome, I'm glad it helped!

Thanks for letting me know!
If you have any questions about this word, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

study it:

Explain the meaning of "jovial" without saying "convivial" or "genial."

try it out:

Who's the most jovial person you know?

Talk about this person. Does he (or she) always seems to be laughing, or making other people laugh, or helping everyone have a fun time? 

If you like, use this space to write. (To save your work, copy and paste it into an email or a document.)

before you review, play:

Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.

Our game for January: "Is That a Real Word?"

In each issue, I’ll give you three, um, written phenomena. You decide if each is a real word—and most importantly—why or why not. If someone were to dispute your judgment, how would you defend it? For fun, try comparing your responses with a companion’s. And if you like, you can compare yours with mine, which I’ll list at the bottom of the issue.

Try these today: Out of "snuck," "hakuna matata," and "substitutor," which, if any, are real words?

review this word:

1. The opposite of JOVIAL is

A. MOONY (dreamy).
B. SATURNINE (gloomy).
C. VENUS-LIKE (gorgeous).

2. He's jovial, apt to burst any moment into _____.

A. a hearty laugh
B. a fit of tears
C. an angry rant

Answers to the review questions: 1. B 2. A Let's compare notes from the game: I say they're all real words! "Snuck:" It's common. It's in dictionaries. Yes, it's less formal than "sneaked." In college, before I learned to fact-check things, my head nearly exploded when one of my friends told me that "snuck" wasn't a real word. I said, "What do you MEAN? I've been using it my whole LIFE!" So, that makes it a word... so carry right on with "snuck"! "Hakuna matata:" It's not in all English dictionaries, but it's in some! I say, if you bring it into English with a catchy song, and your song offers a definition and repeats it again and again, you've definitely cemented yourself a word! "Substitutor:" I worked with a delightful person who used this word to mean "a substitute tutor." We knew exactly what he meant and even picked up the word ourselves. It was fantastic. "Substitutor" also happens to mean, more generally, "one who substitutes," but I didn't know that until I looked it up! Either way, it's definitely a word!

a final word:

I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. From my blog: On vocabulary...       36 ways to study words.       Why we forget words, & how to remember them.       How to use sophisticated words without being awkward. On writing...       How to improve any sentence.       How to motivate our kids to write.       How to stop procrastinating and start writing.       How to bulk up your writing when you have to meet a word count. From my heart: a profound thanks to the generous patrons, donors, and sponsors that make it possible for me to write these emails. If you'd like to be a patron or a donor, please click here. If you'd like to be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. A disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.