JOKE

I. noun Etymology: Latin jocus; perhaps akin to Old High German gehan to say, Sanskrit yācati he asks Date: 1670 1. something said or done to provoke laughter, b. the humorous or ridiculous element in something, an instance of jesting ; kidding , practical ~ , laughingstock , something not to be taken seriously ; a trifling matter , II. verb (~d; joking) Date: 1670 intransitive verb to make ~s ; jest , transitive verb to make the object of a ~ ; kid , jokingly adverb