Jest \Jest\ (j[e^]st), n. [OE. jeste, geste, deed, action,
story, tale, OF. geste, LL. gesta, orig., exploits, neut. pl.
from L. gestus, p. p. of gerere to bear, carry, accomplish,
perform; perh. orig., to make to come, bring, and perh. akin
to E. come. Cf. Gest a deed, Register, n.]
[1913 Webster]
1. A deed; an action; a gest. [Obs.]
[1913 Webster]
The jests or actions of princes. --Sir T.
Elyot.
[1913 Webster]
2. A mask; a pageant; an interlude. [Obs.]
--Nares.
[1913 Webster]
He promised us, in honor of our guest,
To grace our banquet with some pompous jest. --Kyd.
[1913 Webster]
3. Something done or said in order to amuse; a joke; a
witticism; a jocose or sportive remark or phrase. See
Synonyms under Jest, v. i.
[1913 Webster]
I must be sad . . . smile at no man's jests. --Shak.
[1913 Webster]
The Right Honorable gentleman is indebted to his
memory for his jests, and to his imagination for his
facts. --Sheridan.
[1913 Webster]
4. The object of laughter or sport; a laughingstock.
[1913 Webster]
Then let me be your jest; I deserve it. --Shak.
[1913 Webster]
In jest, for mere sport or diversion; not in truth and
reality; not in earnest.
[1913 Webster]
And given in earnest what I begged in jest. --Shak.
Jest book, a book containing a collection of jests, jokes,
and amusing anecdotes; a Joe Miller.
[1913 Webster]
Source: The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
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189 Moby Thesaurus words for "jest":
Parthian shot, a continental, a curse, a damn, a darn, a hoot,
back answer, badinage, bagatelle, banter, bauble, be merry with,
bean, belly laugh, bibelot, bit, blue story, brass farthing, butt,
button, byword, byword of reproach, caustic remark, cent, chaff,
comeback, crack, crack a joke, crack wise, curio, cut,
cutting remark, derision, dig, dirty joke, dirty story,
double entendre, drollery, dump, dupe, ethnic joke, exchange,
fair game, farce, farthing, feather, fig, figure of fun, fleabite,
fleer, fleer at, flout, folderol, fool, foolery, fooling,
fooling around, fribble, frippery, fun, funny story, gag, game,
gaud, gazingstock, gewgaw, gibe, gibe at, gibing retort, gimcrack,
gird, give-and-take, goat, good one, good story,
good-natured banter, hair, halfpenny, harmless teasing, haze,
hill of beans, howler, jab, jape, jeer, jestbook, jestingstock,
jive, joke, jolly, josh, kickshaw, kid, kid around, kidding,
kidding around, knickknack, knickknackery, laugh, laughingstock,
leg-pull, make a funny, make fun, make fun of, minikin, mock,
mockery, molehill, monkey, needle, panic, parting shot, peppercorn,
persiflage, picayune, pilgarlic, pin, pinch of snuff, pinprick,
play, play on words, pleasantry, point, poke fun at, pun, put on,
put-down, put-on, quip, rag, raillery, rally, rallying, rap, razz,
red cent, rib, rib tickler, ride, ridicule, riot, roast,
row of pins, rude reproach, rush, scintillate, scoff, scoff at,
scream, scurrility, shit, short answer, sick joke, sidesplitter,
sight gag, slam, slap, snap, sneeshing, sou, sparkle, sport, stock,
story, straw, swipe, target, taunt, tease, toy, trifle, trinket,
triviality, tuppence, twit, two cents, twopence, utter a mot,
verbal thrust, victim, visual joke, waggery, wheeze, whim-wham,
wisecrack, witticism, wow, yak, yarn
Source: Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0
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Jest \Jest\, n. [OE. jeste, geste, deed, action, story, tale,
OF. geste, LL. gesta, orig., exploits, neut. pl. from L.
gestus, p. p. of gerere to bear, carry, accomplish, perform;
perh. orig., to make to come, bring, and perh. akin to E.
come. Cf. Gest a deed, Register, n.]
1. A deed; an action; a gest. [Obs.]
The jests or actions of princes. --Sir T.
Elyot.
2. A mask; a pageant; an interlude. [Obs.]
--Nares.
He promised us, in honor of our guest, To grace our
banquet with some pompous jest. --Kyd.
3. Something done or said in order to amuse; a joke; a
witticism; a jocose or sportive remark or phrase. See
Synonyms under Jest, v. i.
I must be sad . . . smile at no man's jests. --Shak.
The Right Honorable gentleman is indebted to his
memory for his jests, and to his imagination for his
facts. --Sheridan.
4. The object of laughter or sport; a laughingstock.
Then let me be your jest; I deserve it. --Shak.
In jest, for mere sport or diversion; not in truth and
reality; not in earnest.
And given in earnest what I begged in jest. --Shak.
Jest book, a book containing a collection of jests, jokes,
and amusing anecdotes; a Joe Miller.
Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)
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