jape

English

WOTD – 1 April 2012

Etymology

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Middle English japen (“to joke, play tricks”), of uncertain origin. Perhaps from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Old French japer (“to bark, howl, scream”) (possibly conflated with Old French gaber (“to mock, deride”), see gab), related to Old Occitan japar, jaupar (“to bark, yelp, yap”), probably of (deprecated template usage) [etyl]  origin, related to Old Saxon galpōn (“to cry loudly, make a noise, brag”) (Low German galpen (“to bark, howl, scream”)), Middle High German gelpfen (“to scream, bark, boast, proclaim”), Old Norse gjálpa (“to yelp”) (Swedish dialectal galpa (“to cry, screech”)). More at yelp, yawp, yap.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /d͡ʒeɪp/
• Rhymes: -eɪp

• Audio (UK):

  (file)

Noun

jape (plural japes)

1. A joke or quip.
   • c. 1390 Geoffrey Chaucer, "The Pardoner's Tale" in The Canterbury Tales:

     "Thou bel ami, thou Pardoner," he said,

     "Tell us some mirth of japes right anon."

   • 1920, Jeffery Farnol, The Geste of Duke Jocelyn, Fytte 9:

     [H]e clapped hand to thigh, and laughed and laughed until the air rang again.

     "Oho, a jape—a jape indeed!" he roared.

2. A prank or trick.

Synonyms

• See Thesaurus:joke

Derived terms

• bejape
• japery

Translations

joke or quip — see joke

Verb

1. (intransitive) To jest; play tricks; joke.
   • 1886, Andrew Lang, "To Sir John Manndeville" in Letters to Dead Authors:

     Now the Lond of Egypt longeth to the Soudan, yet the Soudan longeth not to the Lond of Egypt. And when I say this, I do jape with words, and may hap ye understond me not.

2. (transitive) To mock; deride; gibe; trick; befool.