jest

noun

/dʒest/

(old-fashioned or formal)Idioms

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something said or done to make people laugh笑话；俏皮话；打趣；玩笑 synonym joke
- He laughed uproariously at his own jest.他对自己的笑话哈哈大笑。
Word Originlate Middle English: from earlier gest, from Old French geste, from Latin gesta ‘actions, exploits’, from gerere ‘do’. The original sense was ‘exploit, heroic deed’, hence ‘a narrative of such deeds’ (originally in verse); later the term denoted an idle tale, hence a joke (mid 16th cent.).

Idioms

in jest

as a joke开玩笑地；闹着玩
- The remark was made half in jest.这话是半开玩笑说出的。
- ‘Many a true word is spoken in jest,’ thought Rosie (= people often say things as a joke that are actually true).“许多真话都是在玩笑中说出的。” 罗西想。

verb

/dʒest/

[intransitive, transitive] (formal or humorous)

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they jest	/dʒest/ /dʒest/
he / she / it jests	/dʒests/ /dʒests/
past simple jested	/ˈdʒestɪd/ /ˈdʒestɪd/
past participle jested	/ˈdʒestɪd/ /ˈdʒestɪd/
-ing form jesting	/ˈdʒestɪŋ/ /ˈdʒestɪŋ/

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jest (about something) | + speech to say things that are not serious or true, especially in order to make somebody laugh开玩笑；说笑话 synonym joke
- Would I jest about such a thing?这种事我会说着玩吗？
Word Originlate Middle English: from earlier gest, from Old French geste, from Latin gesta ‘actions, exploits’, from gerere ‘do’. The original sense was ‘exploit, heroic deed’, hence ‘a narrative of such deeds’ (originally in verse); later the term denoted an idle tale, hence a joke (mid 16th cent.).