jest

See also: Jëst and jesť

English

Etymology 1

From Middle English geste (“idle tale”), from Old French geste (“acts, exploits”), from Latin gesta (“acts, deeds”). Doublet of gest.

Pronunciation

enPR: jĕst, IPA^(key): /d͡ʒɛst/
(dialectal, obsolete) enPR: jēst, IPA^(key): /d͡ʒiːst/^[1]
(Early Modern) IPA^(key): /d͡ʒɛst/, /d͡ʒɛːst/^[2]
Audio (US): (file)
Rhymes: -ɛst

Noun

jest (plural jests)

(archaic) An act performed for amusement; a joke.
I made that comment in jest; it wasn't serious.
- c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene i], page 278, column 1:
  Alas poore Yorick, I knew him Horatio, a fellow of infinite Ieſt; […]
(archaic) Someone or something that is ridiculed; the target of a joke.
Your majesty, stop him before he makes you the jest of the court.
- c. 1597 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merry Wiues of Windsor”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene iii], page 58, column 2:
  Why then make ſport at me, then let me be your ieſt, / I deſerue it […]
(obsolete) A deed; an action; a gest.
- 1540, Thomas Elyot, Image of Governance:
  the jests or actions of princes
(obsolete) A mask; a pageant; an interlude.
- c. 1587 (date written), [Thomas Kyd], The Spanish Tragedie: […] (Fourth Quarto), London: […] W[illiam] W[hite] for T[homas] Pauier, […], published 1602, →OCLC, (please specify the page):
  He promised us, in honour of our guest, / To grace our banquet with some pompous jest.

Synonyms

(joke): prank, gag, laughingstock, banter, crack, wisecrack, witticism
See also Thesaurus:joke

Derived terms

in jest

Translations

joke

Bulgarian: шега (bg) f (šega), закачка (bg) f (zakačka)
Czech: žert (cs) m, šprým m, vtip (cs) m, legrace (cs) f
Esperanto: ŝerco, blago (eo)
Finnish: pila (fi), vitsi (fi)
French: blague (fr)
Galician: broma (gl) f, brinqueta f
Georgian: ხუმრობა (xumroba), ოხუნჯობა (oxunǯoba)
German: Witz (de) m, Scherz (de) m
German: Witz (de) m, Scherz (de) m
Greek:
Ancient: χλεύη f (khleúē), σκῶμμα n (skômma)
Hungarian: tréfa (hu), tréfálkozás (hu)
Ingrian: pilkka
Italian: scherzo (it), barzelletta (it), battuta (it) f, celia (it) f, arguzia (it) f, facezia (it) f
Kazakh: әжуа (äjua), ажуа (ajua)
Latin: iocus (la) m
Macedonian: ше́га f (šéga)
Maori: takao
Ottoman Turkish: اویون (oyun), شقا (şaka), لطیفه (latife)
Pashto: ټوکه (ps) f (ṭoka)
Persian: شوخی (fa) (šuxi), مزاح (fa) (mezâh) (formal, dated)
Plautdietsch: Spos n
Portuguese: gracejo (pt) m, piada (pt) f
Russian: насме́шка (ru) f (nasméška), остро́та (ru) f (ostróta) (not to confuse with острота́ - bitterness, sharpness, etc.)
Scottish Gaelic: fealla-dhà m
Spanish: broma (es) f, chiste (es) m
Yiddish: שפּאַס m (shpas), קאַטאָוועס (katoves)

target of a joke

Bulgarian: посмешище (bg) (posmešište)
Finnish: naurunaihe, vitsi (fi)
French: risée (fr) f
Georgian: დაცინვის საგანი (dacinvis sagani), დასაცინი (dasacini), სასაცილო (sasacilo)
German: Witzfigur (de) f
Hungarian: nevetség tárgya
Italian: zimbello (it) m, oggetto di scherno
Maori: omeke
Russian: посме́шище (ru) n (posméšišče)

Verb

jest (third-person singular simple present jests, present participle jesting, simple past and past participle jested)

To tell a joke; to talk in a playful manner; to make fun of something or someone.
Surely you jest!

Synonyms

(to joke): banter, kid, mock, tease

Derived terms

Translations

to tell a joke

Bulgarian: шегувам се (šeguvam se)
Czech: vtipkovat (cs) impf, žertovat (cs) impf
Esperanto: ŝerci
Finnish: vitsailla (fi)
French: plaisanter (fr), blaguer (fr)
German: scherzen (de), herumalbern (de), albern (de), Spaß machen
Greek: πειράζω (el) (peirázo)
Ancient Greek: σκώπτω (skṓptō)
Hungarian: tréfálkozik (hu), tréfál (hu), viccelődik (hu)
Italian: scherzare (it), affabulare
Latin: iocor (la), ioculor (la)
Maori: nene, whakanene, kārikarika
Oromo: baacuu
Ottoman Turkish: لطیفه ایتمك (latife etmek)
Persian: لاغیدن (fa) (lâğidan) (obsolete), شوخی کردن (fa) (šuxi kardan)
Portuguese: gracejar (pt)
Russian: шути́ть (ru) (šutítʹ)
Spanish: bromear (es), bufonear (es)
Swedish: skämta (sv), skoja (sv), driva (sv), gyckla (sv)

References

^ Bingham, Caleb (1808) “Improprieties in Pronunciation, common among the people of New-England”, in The Child's Companion; Being a Conciſe Spelling-book […] ‎^[1], 12th edition, Boston: Manning & Loring, →OCLC, page 75.
^ Dobson, E. J. (1957) English pronunciation 1500-1700‎^[2], second edition, volume II: Phonology, Oxford: Clarendon Press, published 1968, →OCLC, § 8, page 474.

Etymology 2

Pronunciation spelling of just..

Adverb

jest (not comparable)

(African-American Vernacular, Southern US) Alternative spelling of just

Anagrams

ESTJ, Jets, jets

Czech

Etymology

From Proto-Slavic *estь, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁es-.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [ˈjɛst]

Verb

jest

(literary, obsolete) third-person singular present indicative of být
Synonym: je

Norwegian Bokmål

Noun

jest m (definite singular jesten, indefinite plural jester, definite plural jestene)

yeast
Synonym: gjær

Related terms

ese

References

“jest” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
“jest” in Det Norske Akademis ordbok (NAOB).

Norwegian Nynorsk

Alternative forms

jester
gjester (non-standard since 1938)

Etymology

From Old Norse jǫstr, from Proto-Germanic *jestuz, whence also English yeast.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /jɛst/
Homophone: gjest

Noun

jest m (definite singular jesten, indefinite plural jestar, definite plural jestane)

yeast
Synonym: gjær

Related terms

asa, ase
esa, ese

References

“jest” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Polish

Etymology

Inherited from Old Polish jest, from Proto-Slavic *estь, from Proto-Balto-Slavic *esti, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁ésti.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈjɛst/
Audio: (file)
Rhymes: -ɛst
Syllabification: jest

Verb

jest

third-person singular present indicative of być; is
Ona jest ładna. ― She's pretty.

Agnieszka jest studentką. ― Agnieszka is a student.
(mathematics) is, equals (see also wynosi)
dwa plus dwa jest cztery. ― Two plus two is four.

Serbo-Croatian

Verb

jest (Cyrillic spelling јест)

third-person singular present of bȉti
Synonym: je

Turkish

Etymology

Borrowed from French geste

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ʒest/

Noun

jest (definite accusative jesti, plural jestler)

gesture

Declension

Inflection

Nominative

jest

Definite accusative

jesti

Singular

Plural

Nominative

jest

Definite accusative

Dative

Locative

Ablative

Genitive

Possessive forms
Nominative
	Singular	Plural
1st singular	jestim	jestlerim
2nd singular	jestin	jestlerin
3rd singular	jesti	jestleri
1st plural	jestimiz	jestlerimiz
2nd plural	jestiniz	jestleriniz
3rd plural	jestleri	jestleri
Definite accusative
	Singular	Plural
1st singular	jestimi	jestlerimi
2nd singular	jestini	jestlerini
3rd singular	jestini	jestlerini
1st plural	jestimizi	jestlerimizi
2nd plural	jestinizi	jestlerinizi
3rd plural	jestlerini	jestlerini
Dative
	Singular	Plural
1st singular	jestime	jestlerime
2nd singular	jestine	jestlerine
3rd singular	jestine	jestlerine
1st plural	jestimize	jestlerimize
2nd plural	jestinize	jestlerinize
3rd plural	jestlerine	jestlerine
Locative
	Singular	Plural
1st singular	jestimde	jestlerimde
2nd singular	jestinde	jestlerinde
3rd singular	jestinde	jestlerinde
1st plural	jestimizde	jestlerimizde
2nd plural	jestinizde	jestlerinizde
3rd plural	jestlerinde	jestlerinde
Ablative
	Singular	Plural
1st singular	jestimden	jestlerimden
2nd singular	jestinden	jestlerinden
3rd singular	jestinden	jestlerinden
1st plural	jestimizden	jestlerimizden
2nd plural	jestinizden	jestlerinizden
3rd plural	jestlerinden	jestlerinden
Genitive
	Singular	Plural
1st singular	jestimin	jestlerimin
2nd singular	jestinin	jestlerinin
3rd singular	jestinin	jestlerinin
1st plural	jestimizin	jestlerimizin
2nd plural	jestinizin	jestlerinizin
3rd plural	jestlerinin	jestlerinin

[1] Bingham, Caleb (1808) “Improprieties in Pronunciation, common among the people of New-England”, in The Child's Companion; Being a Conciſe Spelling-book […] ‎^[1], 12th edition, Boston: Manning & Loring, →OCLC, page 75.

[2] Dobson, E. J. (1957) English pronunciation 1500-1700‎^[2], second edition, volume II: Phonology, Oxford: Clarendon Press, published 1968, →OCLC, § 8, page 474.

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