entry
cheer
/tʃɪr/Happiness, encouragement, or a supportive shouted cry
From Late Latin, probably from Ancient Greek cara (head).
from Greek kara "head" (from PIE root *ker- (1) "horn; head").
from Late Latin cara "face" (source also of Spanish cara ), possibly
+1 more sourcefrom Anglo-French chere "the face," Old French chiere "face, countenance, look, expression,"
+1 more sourcefrom Anglo-French chere "the face," Old French chiere "face, countenance, look, expression,"
+1 more sourceWord Ancestry
from Greek kara "head" (from PIE root *ker- (1) "horn; head").
from Late Latin cara "face" (source also of Spanish cara ), possibly
+1 more sourcefrom Anglo-French chere "the face," Old French chiere "face, countenance, look, expression,"
+1 more sourcefrom Anglo-French chere "the face," Old French chiere "face, countenance, look, expression,"
+1 more sourcePicture a medieval English speaker inspecting someone’s face to discover what sort of day they were having: that face was their chere. The word arrived around 1200 through Anglo-French chere and Old French chiere, from Late Latin cara, “face,” perhaps reaching back to Greek kara, “head.” By the mid-thirteenth century, a person’s visible expression had become their inner mood, and by about 1400 “good cheer” meant gladness; a face had effectively become a weather report for the soul. The older sense survives in a surprising corner of French: chère can mean a meal or hospitality, as though a welcoming face and a well-stocked table naturally belonged together. In 1720, cheer acquired its familiar shouted sense—those voices in a crowd are still, in effect, trying to improve someone’s face.
The Story
Picture a medieval English speaker inspecting someone’s face to discover what sort of day they were having: that face was their chere. The word arrived around 1200 through Anglo-French chere and Old French chiere, from Late Latin cara, “face,” perhaps reaching back to Greek kara, “head.” By the mid-thirteenth century, a person’s visible expression had become their inner mood, and by about 1400 “good cheer” meant gladness; a face had effectively become a weather report for the soul. The older sense survives in a surprising corner of French: chère can mean a meal or hospitality, as though a welcoming face and a well-stocked table naturally belonged together. In 1720, cheer acquired its familiar shouted sense—those voices in a crowd are still, in effect, trying to improve someone’s face.
Modern Usage
An alcoholic beverage, especially in a drinking-related slang expression
Notable References
- Urban Dictionary entries define cheer as applauding a team or performer and, in another entry, as an alcoholic beverage.
Kin & Kindred
From 'cara'·head; face; countenance
Cognates
Related words in other languages
Derived Terms
English words from this root
Sources
Etymonline
Free Dictionary
Urban Dictionary
Wikipedia
Wiktionary