Jest (?), n. [OE. jeste,
geste, deed, action, story, tale, OF. geste, LL.
gesta, orig., exploits, neut. pl. from L. gestus, p. p.
of gerere to bear, carry, accomplish, perform; perh. orig., to
make to come, bring, and perh. akin to E. come. Cf.
Gest a deed, Register, n.]
1. A deed; an action; a gest.
[Obs.]
The jests or actions of princes.
Sir T. Elyot.
2. A mask; a pageant; an interlude.
[Obs.] Nares.
He promised us, in honor of our guest,
To grace our banquet with some pompous jest.
Kyd.
3. Something done or said in order to amuse;
a joke; a witticism; a jocose or sportive remark or phrase. See
Synonyms under Jest, v. i.
I must be sad . . . smile at no man's
jests.
Shak.
The Right Honorable gentleman is indebted to his
memory for his jests, and to his imagination for his
facts.
Sheridan.
4. The object of laughter or sport; a
laughingstock.
Then let me be your jest; I deserve
it.
Shak.
In jest, for mere sport or diversion; not in
truth and reality; not in earnest.
And given in earnest what I begged in
jest.
Shak.
-- Jest book, a book containing a collection
of jests, jokes, and amusing anecdotes; a Joe Miller.
Jest, v. i. [imp. & p.
p. Jested; p. pr. & vb. n.
Jesting.]
1. To take part in a merrymaking; --
especially, to act in a mask or interlude. [Obs.]
Shak.
2. To make merriment by words or actions; to
joke; to make light of anything.
He jests at scars that never felt a
wound.
Shak.
Syn. -- To joke; sport; rally. -- To Jest,
Joke. One jests in order to make others laugh; one
jokes to please himself. A jest is usually at the
expense of another, and is often ill-natured; a joke is a
sportive sally designed to promote good humor without wounding the
feelings of its object. "Jests are, therefore, seldom
harmless; jokes frequently allowable. The most serious subject
may be degraded by being turned into a jest."
Crabb.