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.

RELATED WORDS

frivolity, banter, mockery

Nearby words

persian walnut, persians, the, persicaria, persichetti, persiennes, persiflage, persimmon, persis, persist, persistence, persistence of memory, the

Origin of persiflage

1750–60; < French, derivative of persifler to banter, equivalent to per- per- + siffler to whistle, hiss < Late Latin sifilāre, for Latin sībilāre; see sibilant, -age

SYNONYMS FOR persiflage

1 banter, badinage, jesting.

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Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for persiflage

"Why do you think of a gulch when—" She stopped with a sudden recollection that he was not used to persiflage.
A Mountain Woman and Others|(AKA Elia Wilkinson) Elia W. Peattie
"Come on," said Berwick, paying no attention to Jim's persiflage.
Frontier Boys in Frisco|Wyn Roosevelt
Persiflage of this kind helped to make the men feel at home.
The A.E.F.|Heywood Broun
Florida listened to his persiflage with an air of sad distraction.
A Foregone Conclusion|William Dean Howells

He was a person to be plied with the driest brand of North British persiflage.
Notes of a Camp-Follower on the Western Front|E. W. Hornung

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