joke

Etymology

From Latin iocus (“joke, jest, pastime”) (cognates include French jeu and Italian gioco), from Proto-Italic *jokos (“word, (playful?) saying”), from Proto-Indo-European *iok-o- (“word, utterance”), from ultimate root Proto-Indo-European *yek- (“to speak, utter”) (of which distant cognates include Breton iez (“language”) and German Beichte (“confession”)).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /dʒəʊk/
• (US) IPA^(key): /dʒoʊk/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -əʊk

Noun

joke (plural jokes)

1. An amusing story.
   • John Gay

     Or witty joke our airy senses moves / To pleasant laughter.

2. Something said or done for amusement, not in seriousness.

   It was a joke!

   • Alexander Pope

     Enclose whole downs in walls, 'tis all a joke.

3. (figuratively) The root cause or main issue, especially an unexpected one
4. (figuratively) A laughably worthless thing or person; a sham.

   Your effort at cleaning your room is a joke.

   The president was a joke.

Verb

joke (third-person singular simple present jokes, present participle joking, simple past and past participle joked)

1. (intransitive) To do or say something for amusement rather than seriously.

   I didn’t mean what I said — I was only joking.

2. (transitive, dated) To make merry with; to make jokes upon; to rally.

   to joke a comrade

See also

• jeer
• mock

Anagrams

• ojek

Etymology

Borrowed from English joke.

Noun

joke c (singular definite joken, plural indefinite jokes)

1. joke

Etymology

From English joke.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /dʒok/
• (Quebec) IPA^(key): /dʒoʊk/

Noun

joke f (plural jokes)

1. (Louisiana, Quebec) joke
   • 2009, Robert Maltais, Le Curé du Mile End, page 195:

     Non, non, c'est juste une joke. Garde-lé, ton vingt piastres.

     No, no, that was a joke. Keep it, your twenty bucks.