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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Jest \Jest\ (j[e^]st), noun [OE. jeste, geste, deed, action, story, tale, OF. geste, LL. gesta, orig., exploits, neut. pl. from L. gestus, p. p. of gerere to bear, carry, accomplish, perform; perh. orig., to make to come, bring, and perh. akin to E. come. Cf. {Gest} a deed, {Register}, noun]
1. A deed; an action; a gest. [Obs.]
The jests or actions of princes. --Sir T. Elyot.
2. A mask; a pageant; an interlude. [Obs.] --Nares.
He promised us, in honor of our guest, To grace our banquet with some pompous jest. --Kyd.
3. Something done or said in order to amuse; a joke; a witticism; a jocose or sportive remark or phrase. See Synonyms under {Jest}, verb (used without an object)
I must be sad . . . smile at no man's jests. --Shak.
The Right Honorable gentleman is indebted to his memory for his jests, and to his imagination for his facts. --Sheridan.
4. The object of laughter or sport; a laughingstock.
Then let me be your jest; I deserve it. --Shak.
{In jest}, for mere sport or diversion; not in truth and reality; not in earnest.
And given in earnest what I begged in jest. --Shak.
{Jest book}, a book containing a collection of jests, jokes, and amusing anecdotes; a Joe Miller.
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Jest \Jest\, verb (used without an object) [imp. & p. p. {Jested}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Jesting}.]
1. To take part in a merrymaking; -- especially, to act in a mask or interlude. [Obs.] --Shak.
2. To make merriment by words or actions; to joke; to make light of anything.
He jests at scars that never felt a wound. --Shak.
Syn: To joke; sport; rally.
Usage: To {Jest}, {Joke}. One jests in order to make others laugh; one jokes to please himself. A jest is usually at the expense of another, and is often ill-natured; a joke is a sportive sally designed to promote good humor without wounding the feelings of its object. ''Jests are, therefore, seldom harmless; jokes frequently allowable. The most serious subject may be degraded by being turned into a jest.'' --Crabb.
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
jest
noun
1: a humorous anecdote or remark intended to provoke laughter; "he told a very funny joke"; "he knows a million gags"; "thanks for the laugh"; "he laughed unpleasantly at hisown jest"; "even a schoolboy's jape is supposed to have some ascertainable point" [syn: {joke}, {gag}, {laugh}, {jape}]
2: activity characterized by good humor [syn: {joke}, {jocularity}]
verb
1: tell a joke; speak humorously; "He often jokes even when he appears serious" [syn: {joke}]
2: act in a funny or teasing way [syn: {joke}]
From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:
189 Moby Thesaurus words for "jest": Parthian shot, a continental, a curse, a damn, a darn, a hoot, back answer, badinage, bagatelle, banter, bauble, be merry with, bean, belly laugh, bibelot, bit, blue story, brass farthing, butt, button, byword, byword of reproach, caustic remark, cent, chaff, comeback, crack, crack a joke, crack wise, curio, cut, cutting remark, derision, dig, dirty joke, dirty story, double entendre, drollery, dump, dupe, ethnic joke, exchange, fair game, farce, farthing, feather, fig, figure of fun, fleabite, fleer, fleer at, flout, folderol, fool, foolery, fooling, fooling around, fribble, frippery, fun, funny story, gag, game, gaud, gazingstock, gewgaw, gibe, gibe at, gibing retort, gimcrack, gird, give-and-take, goat, good one, good story, good-natured banter, hair, halfpenny, harmless teasing, haze, hill of beans, howler, jab, jape, jeer, jestbook, jestingstock, jive, joke, jolly, josh, kickshaw, kid, kid around, kidding, kidding around, knickknack, knickknackery, laugh, laughingstock, leg-pull, make a funny, make fun, make fun of, minikin, mock, mockery, molehill, monkey, needle, panic, parting shot, peppercorn, persiflage, picayune, pilgarlic, pin, pinch of snuff, pinprick, play, play on words, pleasantry, point, poke fun at, pun, put on, put-down, put-on, quip, rag, raillery, rally, rallying, rap, razz, red cent, rib, rib tickler, ride, ridicule, riot, roast, row of pins, rude reproach, rush, scintillate, scoff, scoff at, scream, scurrility, shit, short answer, sick joke, sidesplitter, sight gag, slam, slap, snap, sneeshing, sou, sparkle, sport, stock, story, straw, swipe, target, taunt, tease, toy, trifle, trinket, triviality, tuppence, twit, two cents, twopence, utter a mot, verbal thrust, victim, visual joke, waggery, wheeze, whim-wham, wisecrack, witticism, wow, yak, yarn
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