persiflage

noun

per·​si·​flage ˈpər-si-ˌfläzh  ˈper- 

: frivolous bantering talk : light raillery

Did you know?

Unwanted persiflage on television might provoke an impatient audience to hiss or boo, but from an etymological standpoint, no other reaction could be more appropriate. English speakers picked up persiflage from French in the 18th century. Its ancestor is the French verb persifler, which means "to banter" and was formed from the prefix per-, meaning "thoroughly," plus siffler, meaning "to whistle, hiss, or boo." Siffler in turn derived from the Latin verb sibilare, meaning "to whistle or hiss." By the way, sibilare is also the source of sibilant, a word linguists use to describe sounds like those made by "s" and "sh" in sash. That Latin root also underlies the verb sibilate, meaning "to hiss" or "to pronounce with or utter an initial sibilant."

Synonyms

• joke
• raillery
• badinage
• banter
• laugh
• jesting
• repartee
• humor
• humorousness
• chaff
• give-and-take

Examples of persiflage in a Sentence

their tongue-in-cheek persiflage is sometimes mistaken for an exchange of insults by people who don't know them

Recent Examples on the Web

None of this will keep Republicans and conservatives from attacking the reconciliation bill with smoke, mirrors and persiflage. —Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 10 Aug. 2022

As Nixon’s political strategist, Kevin Phillips, told the New York Times in 1970: All the talk about Republicans making inroads into the Negro vote is persiflage. —Jane Coaston, Vox, 12 Oct. 2018

Word History

Etymology

French, from persifler to banter, from per- thoroughly + siffler to whistle, hiss, boo, ultimately from Latin sibilare

First Known Use

1757, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

persiflage

noun

per·​si·​flage ˈpər-si-ˌfläzh  ˈper- 

: silly or lightly joking talk