Word of the Day

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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1

Jape

[jayp]Part of speech: verb

Origin: english, 14th century

• Say or do something in jest or mockery.
• To make a joke of something.

Examples of Jape in a sentence

• He managed to jape at the beginning of his speech, so it wasn't quite so dry.
• The children laugh and jape while they wait in the lunchline.

About Jape

Jape, as a verb, means to make a joke, but you can also use it as a noun. On April Fools' Day you might pull a jape, or a practical joke, on your family. May we suggest filling the bathroom with balloons overnight?

Did you Know?

Jape is an English word that doesn't have a clear etymology from a foreign or ancient language. Chaucer used it in the 14th century in the senses of both trickery and mockery. Then somehow it gained the meaning of sexual intercourse. Most writers stopped using it then for fear of misinterpretation, but jape is still used in literary or formal writing.