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: laughingstock2: 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>