The Collaborative International Dictionary
Jest \Jest\ (j[e^]st), 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.]
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A deed; an action; a gest. [Obs.]
The jests or actions of princes.
--Sir T. Elyot. -
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. -
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. -
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.
Wiktionary
adv. (context idiomatic English) As a joke.
Usage examples of "in jest".
The finest swordsman among those who came to study with the Warders in the Tower, he had also stood high in the classes on strategy and tactics, but Nynaeve could not remember him boasting about his prowess, even in jest.
He chose the latter course and made it very effective by throwing himself down before his offended goddess, as he had often done in jest.
Great was their relief when a loud laugh from above told them that the sentry had been in jest, and had but tried to startle his comrade.
Yet when I got back to Equator Town, where all the lights were out, and my wife (who was still awake, and had been looking forth) asked me who it was that followed me, I thought she spoke in jest.
The last time I saw him, he said something that was half in jest and half in earnest-that while he loved me as a dear male friend, he could love me better as a female friend, and he would not be loathe to do so.
The last time I saw him, he said something that was half in jest and half in earnestthat while he loved me as a dear male friend, he could love me better as a female friend, and he would not be loathe to do so.