jeu d'esprit (n.)

"a witticism," 1712, from French, from jeu "play, game," from Latin jocum "jest, joke, play, sport" (see joke (n.)).

Entries linking to jeu d'esprit

1660s, joque, "a jest, something done to excite laughter," from Latin iocus "joke, jest, sport, pastime" (source also of French jeu, Spanish juego, Portuguese jogo, Italian gioco), from Proto-Italic *joko-, from PIE *iok-o- "word, utterance," from root *yek- (1) "to speak" (cognates: Welsh iaith, Breton iez "language," Middle Irish icht "people;" Old High German jehan, Old Saxon gehan "to say, express, utter;" Old High German jiht, German Beichte "confession").

Originally a colloquial or slang word. Meaning "something not real or to no purpose, someone not to be taken seriously" is from 1791. Black joke is old slang for "smutty song" (1733), from use of that phrase in the refrain of a then-popular song as a euphemism for "the monosyllable." Lithuanian juokas "laugh, laughter," in plural "joke(s)" probably is borrowed from German.

Others are reading

Share jeu d'esprit

‘cite’

Page URL:

https://www.etymonline.com/word/jeu d'esprit

HTML Link:

<a href="https://www.etymonline.com/word/jeu d'esprit">Etymology of jeu d'esprit by etymonline</a>

APA style:

Harper, D. (n.d.). Etymology of jeu d'esprit. Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved $(datetime), from https://www.etymonline.com/word/jeu d'esprit

Chicago style:

Harper Douglas, “Etymology of jeu d'esprit,” Online Etymology Dictionary, accessed $(datetime), https://www.etymonline.com/word/jeu d'esprit.

MLA style:

Harper, Douglas. “Etymology of jeu d'esprit.” Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com/word/jeu d'esprit. Accessed $(datetimeMla).

IEEE style:

D. Harper. “Etymology of jeu d'esprit.” Online Etymology Dictionary. https://www.etymonline.com/word/jeu d'esprit (accessed $(datetime)).

Definitions of jeu d'esprit

jeu d'esprit (n.)

a witty comment or writing;

From wordnet.princeton.edu

Dictionary entries near jeu d'esprit

Jethro

jetsam

jettison

jetton

jetty

jeu d'esprit

jeune fille

jeunesse doree

Jew

jew

Jew-baiting