What is "joust"

Joust \Joust\ (joust or j[u^]st; 277), v. i. [OE. justen, jousten, OF. jouster, jouster, joster, F. jouter, fr. L. juxta near to, nigh, from the root of jungere to join. See Join, and cf. Jostle.]

1. To engage in mock combat on horseback, as two knights in the lists; to tilt. [Written also just.]

   For the whole army to joust and tourney.
   --Holland.

2. Hence: To engage in a competition involving one-to-one struggle with an opponent.

Joust \Joust\, n. [OE. juste, jouste, OF. juste, jouste, joste, F. joute. See Joust, v. i.]

1. A tilting match; a mock combat on horseback between two knights in the lists or inclosed field. [Written also just.]

   Gorgeous knights at joust and tournament.
   --Milton.

2. Hence: Any competition involving one-to-one struggle with an opponent.

c.1300, "fight with a spear or lance on horseback with another knight; tilt in a tournament," from Old French joster "to joust, tilt," from Vulgar Latin *iuxtare "to approach, come together, meet," originally "be next to," from Latin iuxta "beside, near," related to iungere "join together" (see jugular). Formerly spelled, and until modern times pronounced, "just." Related: Jousted; jousting.\n

c.1300, from Old French joustes, from joster (see joust (v.)). The sport was popular with Anglo-Norman knights.\nThese early tournaments were very rough affairs, in every sense, quite unlike the chivalrous contests of later days; the rival parties fought in groups, and it was considered not only fair but commendable to hold off until you saw some of your adversaries getting tired and then to join in the attack on them; the object was not to break a lance in the most approved style, but frankly to disable as many opponents as possible for the sake of obtaining their horses, arms, and ransoms. [L.F. Salzman, "English Life in the Middle Ages," Oxford, 1950]\n

n. A tilting match: a mock combat between two mounted knights or men-at-arms using lances in the lists or enclosed field. vb. To engage in mock combat on horseback, as two knights in the lists; to tilt.

1. n. a combat between two mounted knights tilting against each other with blunted lances [syn: tilt]

2. v. joust against somebody in a tournament by fighting on horseback

Joust is an arcade game developed by Williams Electronics and released in 1982. While not the first game to feature two-player cooperative play, Joust was more successful than its predecessors and popularized the concept. The player uses a button and joystick to control a knight riding a flying ostrich. The object is to progress through levels by defeating groups of enemy knights riding buzzards.

John Newcomer led the development team, which included Bill Pfutzenreuter, Jan Hendricks, Python Anghelo, Tim Murphy, and John Kotlarik. Newcomer aimed to create a flying game with cooperative two-player gameplay, but wanted to avoid a space theme, which was popular at the time. Staff worked within the technical limitations of the hardware (originally developed two years earlier for Williams' first game, Defender), excluding concepts and optimizing the visuals.

The game was well received in arcades and by critics, who praised the gameplay, the mechanics of which influenced titles by other developers. Joust was followed by a sequel four years later, and was ported to numerous home and portable platforms.

Joust or Jousting may refer to:

• Jousting, the medieval sport
• Joust (video game), the 1982 arcade game
• Joust (novel), the novel by Mercedes Lackey
• Joust (Gladiators, UK/Australia), an event played in the television series Gladiators
• Joust (Gladiators, US), the US term for "Duel" in the US version of the television series Gladiators
• Sea jousting, a water-based sport
• Joust (roller coaster), a roller coaster at Dutch Wonderland
• sometimes used of mock-combat between horned animals, see Rut (mammalian reproduction)

First commissioned for "the dragon quintet" edited by Marvin Kaye, "Joust" appeared as a short story along with "In the Dragon's House" by Orson Scott Card, "Judgment" by Elizabeth Moon, "Love in a time of Dragons" by Tanith Lee and "Dragon King" by Michael Swanwick.

Joust (2003) is the first in a planned tetralogy by Mercedes Lackey. The books are set in a fictional version of Pharaonic Egypt. The Upper Kingdom is named Tia and the Lower Kingdom is Alta.

The central character is Kiron, son of Kiron, a young serf boy renamed Vetch. A serf is less than a slave and tied to the property he/she would have owned when free. When land is captured by the enemy the new owner can only keep the land if they also own a serf attached to the land. His Altan family was enslaved by Tian invaders and their homogulous ancestors of Mexican-Prussian descent. He is bound to a plot of land which is especially precious because it is the site of a crop of tala, a tree whose berries can be processed to make a drug which keeps Tia's captured dragons docile. Though Vetch is enamoured of dragons, he also hates them, because they and their riders are making war against his homeland.

His master, Khefti-the-fat, is cruel to him, and Vetch has nothing left except his desire for revenge. A Jouster happens to observe Khefti's cruelty and confiscates Vetch to tend his dragon. As a dragon boy, Vetch finds life much easier, since he is now able to get adequate food and wear clean clothing. He develops a reluctant respect and even liking for Jouster Ari.

Kashet, Ari's dragon, is unique in that he is tame; he does not need tala to be docile. Ari raised him from infancy. Khefti-the-fat's one attempt to reclaim Vetch backfires, and Vetch's desire for revenge subsides somewhat. It chafes at him, however, that as an Altan serf he can never be freed.

When a training accident goes awry and one of the female dragons escapes control long enough to mate, Vetch sees his chance for freedom. He offers to take over the care of the pregnant female, Coresan, in addition to tending to Kashet. When she lays an egg, he steals it and tends to it in secret. His dragon is a scarlet female he names Avatre. His young dragon goes unnoticed as several other young dragons have been brought to the Jousters' compound as a new training experiment.

Avatre is discovered by another dragon boy, before she has fledged (first taken flight). By luck Vetch is on her back, and she is startled into flight. They cannot outfly Ari and Kashet, however, and Vetch tries to commit suicide by leaping from Avatre's back, rather than lose her to another Jouster, but Ari catches him. To Vetch's surprise, Ari is sympathetic to his plan. He convinces the other Jousters that Vetch has died, provisions him in secret, and sends him north.

The book ends with Vetch crossing over into Altan territory and reclaiming his father's name, Kiron.

The four books in this series are

• Joust (2003)
• Alta (2004)
• Sanctuary (May 2005)
• Aerie (Oct 2006)

Category:2003 novels Category:Fantasy novels Category:Novels by Mercedes Lackey