n. 1 the use of ridicule, irony, sarcasm, etc., to expose folly or vice or to lampoon an individual. 2 a work or composition in prose or verse using satire. 3 this branch of literature. 4 a thing that brings ridicule upon something else. 5 Rom. Antiq. a poetic medley, esp. a poem ridiculing prevalent vices or follies.
[ F satire or L satira later form of satura medley ]