- farce
- 1530, from M.Fr. farce "comic interlude in a mystery play," lit. "stuffing," from O.Fr. farcir "to stuff," from L. farcire, perhaps related to frequens "crowded." The pseudo-L. farsia was applied 13c. in France and England to praise phrases inserted into liturgical formulae (e.g. between kyrie and eleison), then in O.Fr. farce was extended to the impromptu buffoonery among actors that was a feature of religious stage plays.