facetious English · revision 2053

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /fəˈsiːʃəs/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[bor|frm|facétieux]],^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate) from ''facétie'' “a jest”,^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate) [[der|la|facetia|t=jest, witticism]],^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate) from [[la|facetus|t=witty, elegant]],^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline) which is of unknown origin.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Of style or manners, polished and agreeable; urbane (1592).^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1995)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The “polished” sense soon gave way to “given to joking, humorous” (1599).^(Barnhart 1995)^(OED 1989)^(MW Collegiate) The word was formerly often used approvingly, for wit that kept its dignity,^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989) but later it came to suggest a wish to be funny that is out of place or poorly timed.^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1592 – polished, urbane (obsolete).^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1995)

+ * 1599 – of persons, jocular, waggish.^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1995)^(MW Collegiate)

+ * 1605 – of remarks or writings.^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Adjective===

+ # Joking, often inappropriately; not meant to be taken seriously.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+ # Playfully humorous; jocular.^(AHD)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[facetiously]]

+ * [[facetiousness]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[facetiae]]

+ * [[flippant]]

+ * [[waggish]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}