facetiae

American  

[fuh-see-shee-ee] / fəˈsi ʃiˌi /

plural noun

1. amusing or witty remarks or writings.

2. Older Use. pornographic books or other writings.

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facetiae British  

/ fəˈsiːʃɪˌiː /

plural noun

1. humorous or witty sayings

2. obscene or coarsely witty books

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Etymology

Origin of facetiae

First recorded in 1520–30; from Latin, plural of facētia “something witty, a joke”; see facete, -ia

Example Sentences

Both facetiae and lepos mean "agreeableness, humor, pleasantry," but lepos here seems to refer to diction, as in Cic.

From Conspiracy of Catiline and the Jurgurthine War by Watson, John Selby

The myth of Qat is a jungle of facetiae and frolic, with one or two serious incidents, such as the beginning of Death and the coming of Night.

From The Making of Religion by Lang, Andrew

It meant being chaffed and gibed at in language of which he only understood that it was cruel, though certain trite facetiae grew intelligible to him by repetition.

From Children of the Ghetto A Study of a Peculiar People by Zangwill, Israel

Much of Thomas Warton's poetry, such as his facetiae in the "Oxford Sausage" and his "Triumph of Isis," had an academic flavor.

From A History of English Romanticism in the Eighteenth Century by Beers, Henry A. (Henry Augustin)

The second room, announced by the word "Counting-Room" on its door, harmonized with the grim facetiae of its neighbor.

From Rise and Fall of Cesar Birotteau by Balzac, Honoré de