jester
Americannoun
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a person who is given to witticisms, jokes, and pranks.
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a professional fool or clown, especially at a medieval court.
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of jester
First recorded in 1325–75, jester is from the Middle English word gester. See gest, -er 1
Explanation
A jester is a joker or clown who performs for an audience. Most jesters worked for English kings' courts during medieval and Tudor times. Back in Shakespeare's day, English royals employed many entertainers who performed plays, songs, and other acts for them. Among these professionals was the jester, whose job was keeping the nobles amused. Some jesters would travel in groups, putting on shows in various cities. Fools and jesters appear in many of Shakespeare's plays. The word was originally spelled gestour, which was defined as "a minstrel or teller of tales." The root is the Anglo-Latin gesten, "recite a tale."
Vocabulary lists containing jester
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Working on a serious documentary didn’t stop Jackson from his activities as a harsh and relentless internet jester.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 14, 2025
Created by a solo developer known only as LocalThunk, card game Balatro - which takes its name from the Latin for jester or buffoon - is one of the year's biggest success stories.
From BBC • Nov. 18, 2024
She could: She plays the Fool — usually a male role — the court jester whose comic antics soften the sting of bracingly honest commentary.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 19, 2024
Can imperfect sidekicks and second-fiddlers like Camelot’s court jester and Sir Palomides, the Saracen knight, save the realm when Arthur reveals himself as all too mortal?
From Seattle Times • May 14, 2024
“Crispin,” said Bear, “a wise man—he was a jester by trade—once told me that living by answers is a form of death. It’s only questions that keep you living. What think you of that?”
From "Crispin: The Cross of Lead" by Avi
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
