Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary · 1913

Hilarity

Hilarity (?; 277) , noun

[Latin hilaritas: compare French hilarité. See Hilarious.]

Boisterous mirth; merriment; jollity. — Goldsmith

Hilarity differs from joy: the latter, excited by good news or prosperity, is an affection of the mind; the former, produced by social pleasure, drinking, etc., which rouse the animal spirits, is more demonstrative.