jest — a thing said or done for amusement; a joke
Part of speech: NOUN
Definition: a thing said or done for amusement; a joke
Pronunciation (IPA): /dʒest/
Example Sentences
- The king's jester entertained the court with his witty jests.
- Don't take everything he says seriously - half of it is said in jest.
- My boss asked if I wanted to work on Saturday, but I could tell by his smile it was just a jest.
jest
NOUN[/dʒest/]
a thing said or done for amusement; a joke
The court jester's clever jest made even the grumpy king burst out laughing.
His best jest passes every test!
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🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
From Old French 'geste' meaning 'deed' or 'exploit', which came from Latin 'gesta' (deeds or exploits). Over time, the meaning shifted from recounting deeds to making witty remarks or jests for entertainment.
Breakdown
Jest is a single morpheme with no productive internal breakdown in modern English. It derives from Old French 'geste' < Latin 'gesta' (plural of 'gestum', deed).
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“The king's jester entertained the court with his witty jests.”
“Don't take everything he says seriously - half of it is said in jest.”
“My boss asked if I wanted to work on Saturday, but I could tell by his smile it was just a jest.”
“She jested that her cooking was so bad, even the smoke alarm cheered when she ordered pizza.”
📚Related Words
Synonyms
Antonyms
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