Etymology

jest

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Today it means: An act performed for amusement; a joke. Full definition →

Middle English geste ← Old French geste ← Latin gesta
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The story

  1. Latin · derived fromgesta“acts, deeds”
  2. Old French · derived fromgeste“acts, exploits”
  3. Middle English · inherited fromgeste“idle tale”
  4. English todayjest

From Middle English geste (“idle tale”), from Old French geste (“acts, exploits”), from Latin gesta (“acts, deeds”). Doublet of gest.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.