happy

1. happen => perhaps.
2. happen => hap.
3. happen => hapless.
4. hap "chance, fortune, luck" + 双写p加-y.

happy 高兴的，幸运的

来自hap,发生，运气，机会。即运气好的，引申词义高兴的。

happy

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 gesælig, which has become silly. Old English bliðe "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.).

1. She has now changed into a happy, self-confident woman.

如今她已经变成一个快乐、自信的女人。

2. He was so happy communing with the dolphin in Dingle Bay.

他在丁格尔湾与海豚交流的时候特别开心。

3. Like the best stories, this one may yet have a happy end.

就像最精彩的故事那样，这个故事也许仍会有个美好的结局。

4. Some foreign governments appear happy to gloss over continued human rights abuses.

一些外国政府似乎很乐于掩盖不断出现的侵犯人权现象。

5. I wasn't too happy with what I'd written so far.

我对于目前已写完的这些并不太满意。

【joyful, glad, delightful, merry, gay, happy, agreeable, jolly, nice, pleasant, cheerful】
这组词都有“愉快的，高兴的”的意思，其区别是：
joyful: 语气较强，强调心情或感情上的欣喜。
glad: 最普通用词，语气较弱，表示礼貌的惯用语。指乐于做某事或因某事而感到满足，常表愉快的心情。
delightful: 指能带来强烈的快乐，激起愉快的情感，用于非常愉快的场合。
merry: 指精神情绪的暂时高涨，表示欢乐、愉快的心境或情景，侧重充满欢笑声和乐趣。
gay: 侧重无忧无虑、精神昂扬、充满生命的快乐。
happy: 侧重感到满足、幸福或高兴。
agreeable: 指与感受者的愿望、情趣或受好等和谐一致而带来的心情上的快意。
jolly: 通俗用词，多指充满快乐与喜悦的神情。
nice: 语气较温和，泛指任何愉快或满意的感觉。
pleasant: 侧重给人以“赏心悦目”或“愉快的，宜人的”感受。
cheerful: 多指因内心的愉快而表现出兴高采烈，是强调而自然的感情流露。

【favourable, lucky, happy, fortunate】
这组词都有“有利的，好运的，顺利的”的意思，其区别是：
favourable: 普通用词，指预示从良好的结果中能得到明显好处，有利于达到目的。
lucky: 多指偶然机遇中的有利或幸运情况。
happy: 侧重指不是通过某种机会，而是凭借鉴另和选择手段而得到利益与好处。有时也指偶然得到的好处，但强调的是有利的结果。
fortunate: 指目前已存在的成功或有利情况，或指因好运或机会带来的成功和喜悦。