jest

English

Etymology 1

From Middle English geste (“idle tale”), from Old French geste (“acts, exploits”), from Latin gesta (“acts, deeds”). Doublet of gest.

Pronunciation

• enPR: jĕst, IPA^(key): /d͡ʒɛst/
• (dialectal, obsolete) enPR: jēst, IPA^(key): /d͡ʒiːst/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛst

Noun

jest (plural jests)

1. (archaic) An act performed for amusement; a joke.

   I made that comment in jest; it wasn't serious.

   • c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies  (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, , page 278, column 1:

     Alas poore Yorick, I knew him Horatio, a fellow of infinite Ieſt; […]

2. (archaic) Someone or something that is ridiculed; the target of a joke.

   Your majesty, stop him before he makes you the jest of the court.

   • c. 1597 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merry Wiues of Windsor”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies  (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, , page 58, column 2:

     Why then make ſport at me, then let me be your ieſt, / I deſerue it […]

3. (obsolete) A deed; an action; a gest.
   • 1540, Thomas Elyot, Image of Governance:

     the jests or actions of princes

4. (obsolete) A mask; a pageant; an interlude.
   • c. 1587 (date written), [Thomas Kyd], The Spanish Tragedie:  (Fourth Quarto), London: W W for T Pauier, , published 1602, →OCLC, (please specify the page):

     He promised us, in honour of our guest, / To grace our banquet with some pompous jest.

Synonyms

• (joke): prank, gag, laughingstock, banter, crack, wisecrack, witticism
• See also Thesaurus:joke

Derived terms

• in jest

Translations

Verb

jest (third-person singular simple present jests, present participle jesting, simple past and past participle jested)

1. To tell a joke; to talk in a playful manner; to make fun of something or someone.

   Surely you jest!

Synonyms

• (to joke): banter, kid, mock, tease

Derived terms

• jester
• jestingly

Translations

See also

• jest on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

References

Etymology 2

Pronunciation spelling of just..

Adverb

jest (not comparable)

1. (African-American Vernacular, Southern US) Alternative spelling of just

Anagrams

• ESTJ, Jets, jets

Czech

Etymology

From Proto-Slavic *estь, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁es-.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):

Verb

jest

1. (literary, obsolete) third-person singular present indicative of být

   Synonym: je

Norwegian Bokmål

Alternative forms

• jester

Etymology

From Old Norse jǫstr, from Proto-Germanic *jestuz, whence English yeast.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /jest/
• Homophone: gjest

Noun

jest m (definite singular jesten, indefinite plural jester, definite plural jestene)

1. yeast

   Synonym: gjær

Related terms

• ese

References

• “jest” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
• “jest” in Det Norske Akademis ordbok (NAOB).

Norwegian Nynorsk

Alternative forms

• jester
• gjester (non-standard since 1938)

Etymology

From Old Norse jǫstr, from Proto-Germanic *jestuz, whence also English yeast.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /jɛst/
• Homophone: gjest

Noun

jest m (definite singular jesten, indefinite plural jestar, definite plural jestane)

1. yeast

   Synonym: gjær

Related terms

• asa, ase
• esa, ese

References

• “jest” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Polish

Etymology

Inherited from Old Polish jest, from Proto-Slavic *estь, from Proto-Balto-Slavic *esti, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁ésti.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /jɛst/

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛst
• Syllabification: jest

Verb

jest

1. third-person singular present indicative of być; is

   Ona jest ładna. ― She's pretty.

   Agnieszka jest studentką. ― Agnieszka is a student.

2. (mathematics) is, equals (see also wynosi)

   dwa plus dwa jest cztery. ― Two plus two is four.

Serbo-Croatian

Verb

jest (Cyrillic spelling јест)

1. third-person singular present of bȉti

Turkish

Etymology

Borrowed from French geste

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʒest/

Noun

jest (definite accusative jesti, plural jestler)

1. gesture

Declension