levity
LEV-ih-teenounMeaning lightness of mood or humor, especially at a serious time
Memory hook LEV = LIGHT: a joke that LEVitates. The long meeting feels heavy until Dev’s joke floats up like a balloon and lifts everyone’s mood: a moment of levity.
A little levity helped the nervous players relax before the final game.
In context The ceremony was solemn, and the principal frowned at any levity; even a giggle from the back row earned a stern look.
Similar lightheartedness, frivolity, humor, playfulness
Opposite gravity, seriousness, solemnity
From Latin levitas, “lightness,” from levis (light in weight).