Cheer Once Meant a Facial Expression
To cheer is to shout in approval or to encourage. The word originally meant the face, then the mood the face showed.
To cheer is to shout in approval, or to make someone happier. The word began as a noun for the face: Old French *chiere*, from Late Latin *cara*. From the face it moved to the expression on it, then to the mood behind the expression, and finally to the shout. Old texts speak of a person *of good cheer*, meaning of good countenance. That old sense survives in *be of good cheer* and in *cheerful*.
- To shout in approval. *The crowd cheered.*
- To encourage. *Cheer him on.*
- Gladness. *Christmas cheer.*
- Cheer up — become happier. *Cheer up, it's nearly over.*
- Cheers — a toast, or British thanks. *Cheers, mate.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb | cheer | Cheer loudly. |
| Past | cheered | They cheered. |
| Noun | cheer | A loud cheer. |
| Adjective | cheerful | A cheerful room. |
| Adverb | cheerfully | Waved cheerfully. |
- The stadium cheered the equaliser.Approval.
- The news cheered her considerably.To gladden.
- Be of good cheer.Archaic: the old sense.
What cheers means in Britain
- A toast — said when glasses touch, as everywhere
- Thank you — the most common British use, for small favours
- Goodbye — at the end of a casual conversation
- Acknowledgement — a one-word reply to a message
- Cheers for that — thanks for that, informal
Old French *chiere*, the face or countenance, from Late Latin *cara*, from Greek *kara*, the head. The sense of a shout dates from the 1700s.
Why do British people say cheers for thank you?
The toasting sense broadened into general goodwill in the twentieth century, and it now works as an informal thanks or goodbye.
What does be of good cheer mean?
Be in good spirits. It preserves the old sense of cheer as countenance or mood.