happy: [14] The Old and Middle English word for ‘happy’ was what in modern English has become silly. This began to change its meaning around the 15th century, and obviously an opportunity began to open up for an adjective expressing ‘contentment’ (as opposed to positive ‘joy’, denoted then by glad, fain, and joyful). The gap was partly filled by a weakening in the meaning of glad, but waiting in the wings was happy, a derivative of the noun hap ‘chance, luck’ (source of happen), which when it was coined in the 14th century meant ‘lucky, fortunate, prosperous’.
The main modern sense ‘highly pleased or contented’ developed in the early 16th century. => happen
happy (adj.)
late 14c., "lucky, favored by fortune, being in advantageous circumstances, prosperous;" of events, "turning out well," from hap (n.) "chance, fortune" + -y (2). Sense of "very glad" first recorded late 14c. Meaning "greatly pleased and content" is from 1520s. Old English had eadig (from ead "wealth, riches") and ges?lig, which has become silly. Old English bliee "happy" survives as blithe. From Greek to Irish, a great majority of the European words for "happy" at first meant "lucky." An exception is Welsh, where the word used first meant "wise."
Happy medium "the golden mean" is from 1702. Happy ending in the literary sense recorded from 1756. Happy as a clam (1630s) was originally happy as a clam in the mud at high tide, when it can't be dug up and eaten. Happy hunting ground, the reputed Indian paradise, is attested from 1840, American English. Happy day for "wedding day" is by 1739; happy hour for "early evening period of discount drinks and free hors-d'oeuvres at a bar" is by 1961, said to be 1950s. Related: Happier; happiest.
happy (adv.)
late 14c., from happy (adj.).
例文
1. She has now changed into a happy ，self-confident woman.
今では彼女は楽しくて自信のある女になっている。
2.He was so happy communing with the dolphin in Dingle Bay.
彼はディンガー湾でイルカと交流する時とても楽しかった。
3.Like the best stories，this one may yet have a happy end.
この物語は最高の物語のように、素晴らしい結末を迎えるかもしれない。
4.Some foreign governments appear happy to gloss over continued human rights abuses.
外国政府の中には、人権侵害が絶えないことを隠すのが好きな外国政府もいるようだ。
5.I wasn 't too happy with what I 'd written so far.