JEST

noun Etymology: Middle English geste idle tale, story in verse, from Anglo-French, deed, action, narrative, from Latin gesta deeds, from neuter plural of gestus, past participle of gerere to bear, wage Date: circa 1548 an utterance (as a jeer or quip) intended to be taken as mockery or humor, 2. prank , a ludicrous circumstance or incident, 3. a frivolous mood or manner , gaiety and merriment, laughingstock , see: fun ~ verb