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persiflage

[ pur-suh-flahzh, pair- ]

/ ˈpɜr səˌflɑʒ, ˈpɛər- /

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noun

light, bantering talk or writing.

a frivolous or flippant style of treating a subject.

OTHER WORDS FOR persiflage

1 banter, badinage, jesting.

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Origin of persiflage

First recorded in 1750–60; from French, derivative of persifler “to banter,” equivalent to per- prefix meaning “through, thoroughly, very” + siffler “to whistle, hiss,” from Late Latin sifilāre, for Latin sībilāre; see per-, sibilant, -age

Words nearby persiflage

Persian violet, Persian walnut, persicaria, Persichetti, persiennes, persiflage, persimmon, Persis, persist, persistence, persistence of vision

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use persiflage in a sentence

"There's a little too much persiflage around here," he said sternly.
The Varmint|Owen Johnson
Forester smiled, but not without anger, at the quiet persiflage of her manner.
The Knight Of Gwynne, Vol. II (of II)|Charles James Lever
The proprietor of the Kingsbury Tavern smiled indulgently at this persiflage.
The Dwelling Place of Light, Complete|Winston Churchill
All this persiflage, in harmony with the polemics of the Gorgias, derides and degrades the Rhetors collectively.
Plato and the Other Companions of Sokrates, 3rd ed. Volume III (of 4)|George Grote

What brilliant effort of persiflage was to follow will never be known, for at that moment came Sanders.
The Keepers of the King's Peace|Edgar Wallace

British Dictionary definitions for persiflage

persiflage

/ (ˈpɜːsɪˌflɑːʒ) /

noun

light frivolous conversation, style, or treatment; friendly teasing

Word Origin for persiflage

C18: via French, from persifler to tease, from per- (intensive) + siffler to whistle, from Latin sībilāre to whistle

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