HILAR'ITY, noun [Latin hilaritas; Gr. joyful, merry.] Mirth; merriment; gayety. hilarity differs from joy; the latter, excited by good news or prosperity, is an affection of the mind; the former, by social pleasure, drinking, etc., which rouse the animal spirits.
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI