repartee

English

Etymology

From French repartie, deverbal of repartir (“to retort”)

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA: /ˌɹɛpɑɹˈteɪ/
• (RP) IPA: /ˌɹɛpɑːˈtiː/

Noun

repartee (plural repartees)

1. A swift, witty reply, especially one that is amusing.
   • 1919, W. Somerset Maugham, The Moon and Sixpence, chapter 41

     A slight smile broke on his lips.

     "You are always prepared to sacrifice your principles for a repartee," he answered.

2. A conversation marked by a series of witty retorts.
   • 1851, Herman Melville, Moby-Dick

     Yet habit—strange thing! what cannot habit accomplish?—Gayer sallies, more merry mirth, better jokes, and brighter repartees, you never heard over your mahogany...

Synonyms

• See also Wikisaurus:joke

Translations

swift witty retort

• French: repartie (fr)
• German: Schlagfertigkeit (de) f, Schlagabtausch (de) m, schlagfertige Antwort (de) f

• Russian: остроумный ответ (ostroúmnyj otvét) m
• Turkish: hazırcevap (tr), şıpyanıt (tr)

Verb

repartee (third-person singular simple present repartees, present participle reparteeing, simple past and past participle reparteed)

1. To reply with a repartee
   • 1862, Various, The Continental Monthly^[1], Vol. 2 No 4:

     Aubrey speaks of him as 'incomparable at reparteeing, the bull that was bayted, his witt beinge most sparkling, when most set on and provoked.'

2. To have a repartee (conversation marked by repartees)
   • 1913, Gouverneur Morris, The Penalty^[2]:

     To see them together, friendly, reparteeing, chummy, would turn your stomach--Barbara so exquisite and high-born, and the man, his eyes full of evil fires, sitting like a great toad on the model's chair.

Anagrams

• pear tree
• repeater