Does the word "merry" have some negative meaning?

Solution 1:

Looking at the etymology of the term it appears that "marry" original meaning and main usages are related to "positive" connotations. A few "less positive" or "satirical" connotations developed mainly in the 18th century such as marry-begot or merry-bout. Overall the term is a "positive" one:

Merry (adj.):

• Old English myrge "pleasing, agreeable, pleasant, sweet; pleasantly, melodiously,"* from Proto-Germanic *murgijaz, which probably originally meant "short-lasting," (compare Old High German murg "short," Gothic gamaurgjan "to shorten"), from PIE *mreghu- "short" (see brief (adj.)). The only exact cognate for meaning outside English was Middle Dutch mergelijc "joyful."

• Connection to "pleasure" is likely via notion of "making time fly, that which makes the time seem to pass quickly" (compare German Kurzweil "pastime," literally "a short time;" Old Norse skemta "to amuse, entertain, amuse oneself," from skamt, neuter of skammr "short"). There also was a verbal form in Old English, myrgan "be merry, rejoice." For vowel evolution, see bury (v.).

  • Bot vchon enle we wolde were fyf, þe mo þe myryer. [c. 1300]

• The word had much wider senses in Middle English, such as "pleasant-sounding" (of animal voices), "fine" (of weather), "handsome" (of dress), "pleasant-tasting" (of herbs).

• Merry-bout "an incident of sexual intercourse" was low slang from 1780. Merry-begot "illegitimate" (adj.), "bastard" (n.) is from 1785. Merrie England (now frequently satirical or ironic) is 14c. meri ingland, originally in a broader sense of "bountiful, prosperous." Merry Monday was a 16c. term for "the Monday before Shrove Tuesday" (Mardi Gras).