scherzare

Italian

Etymology

Borrowed from Lombardic *skerzan (“to jump merrily, enjoy oneself, jest”) from Proto-Germanic *skertaną (“to hop, jump”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kerd- (“to dance, jump”). Akin to Middle High German scherzen (“to frolic, jump merrily, hop up and down”) (German scherzen (“to joke”); Scherz (“joke, sport”)), Norwegian skjerta (“to joke”). More at scherzo.

Verb

scherzare

1. (intransitive) to joke, kid, jest, frolic, be funny

   Stai scherzando! ― You are joking!

2. (intransitive) to gamble, trifle, play

Derived terms

• scherzo

Anagrams

• scherzerà