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definitions

jape

[jeyp]
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verb (used without object), japed, jap·ing.
  1. to jest; joke; gibe.
verb (used with object), japed, jap·ing.
  1. to mock or make fun of.
noun
  1. a joke; jest; quip.
  2. a trick or practical joke.

Origin of jape

1300–50; Middle English japen, perhaps < Old French jap(p)er to bark, of imitative orig.
Related formsjap·er, nounjap·er·y, nounjap·ing·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for japer

jokester, clown, fool, madcap, trickster, antic, harlequin, wag, actor, joker, wit, comedian, buffoon, comic, humorist, card, prankster, pantaloon, droll, quipster

Examples from the Web for japer

Historical Examples of japer

British Dictionary definitions for japer

jape

noun
  1. a jest or joke
verb
  1. to joke or jest (about)
Derived Formsjaper, nounjapery, nounjapingly, adverb

Word Origin for jape

C14: perhaps from Old French japper to bark, yap, of imitative origin
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for japer

jape

v.

late 14c., "to trick, beguile, jilt," perhaps from Old French japer "to howl, bawl, scream," of echoic origin, or from Old French gaber "to mock, deride." Phonetics suits the former, but sense the latter explanation. Took on a slang sense mid-15c. of "have sex with," and disappeared from polite usage. Revived in harmless Middle English sense of "say or do something in jest" by Scott, etc. Related: Japed; japing.

jape

n.

early 14c., "trick, deceit," later "a joke, a jest" (late 14c.); see jape (v.). By mid-14c. it meant "frivolous pastime," by 1400, "bawdiness."

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper