gladder

• IPA^(key): /ˈɡlædə(ɹ)/

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From Middle English gladere, from Old English glædra (adj), glador (adverb), comparative of glæd (“glad, shining, bright”). More at glad.

gladder

1. comparative form of glad: more glad

From gladder (“one who makes glad”), or perhaps from Middle English *gladderen, from Old English *gladrian (“to make glad”), equivalent to glad +‎ -er (fequentative suffix).

gladder (third-person singular simple present gladders, present participle gladdering, simple past and past participle gladdered)

1. (nonstandard, proscribed, rare) Alternative form of gladden
   • 1909, Country Correspondence, Political Department, 1800-[1804]:

     Under the auspicious influence of the Company's just and equitable administration, the face of this province is gladdered ^[sic]—the blossoms of Peace are blowing and the blessings of tranquility increasing daily [...]

   • 2006, Pūrana Siṅgha; Sāhitya Akādemī, The knock at midnight:

     The light of snow has gladdered the heart [...]

From Old English *gladere (“gladder”), from gladian (“to make glad”).

gladder (plural gladders)

1. One who makes glad or gives joy.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Chaucer to this entry?)

• gladder in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913