1727, a physician's term for "condition of feeling healthy and comfortable (especially when sick)," medical Latin, from Greek euphoria "power of enduring easily," from euphoros, literally "bearing well," from eu "well" (see eu-) + pherein "to carry," from PIE root *bher- (1) "to carry." Non-technical use, now the main one, dates to 1882 and perhaps is a reintroduction. Earlier the word meant "effective operation of a medicine on a patient" (1680s).