Main Entry: ¹joke

Pronunciation: \ˈjōk\

Function: noun

Etymology: Latin jocus; perhaps akin to Old High German gehan to say, Sanskrit yācati he asks

Date: 1670

1 a : something said or done to provoke laughter; especially : a brief oral narrative with a climactic humorous twist b (1) : the humorous or ridiculous element in something (2) : an instance of jesting : kidding <can't take a joke> c : practical joke d : laughingstock
2 : something not to be taken seriously : a trifling matter <consider his skiing a joke — Harold Callender> —often used in negative constructions <it is no joke to be lost in the desert>