Nearby Words
Synonyms

persiflage

[pur-suh-flahzh, pair-] Example Sentences Origin

per·si·flage

[pur-suh-flahzh, pair-]
noun
1.
light, bantering talk or writing.
2.
a frivolous or flippant style of treating a subject.

Origin:
1750–60; < French, derivative of persifler to banter, equivalent to per- per- + siffler to whistle, hiss < Late Latin sifilāre, for Latin sībilāre; see sibilant, -age


1. banter, badinage, jesting.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To persiflage

:10

:09

:08

:07

:06

:05

:04

:03

:02

:01

Persiflage is always a great word to know.
So is gobo. Does it mean:
a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare.
a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.
Example Sentences
  • But none of that persiflage changes the basic situation.
Collins
World English Dictionary
persiflage (ˈpɜːsɪˌflɑːʒ)
 
n
light frivolous conversation, style, or treatment; friendly teasing
 
[C18: via French, from persifler to tease, from per- (intensive) + siffler to whistle, from Latin sībilāre to whistle]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

persiflage
1757, from Fr. persiflage, from persifler "to banter," from L. per- "through" + Fr. siffler "to whistle, hiss," from collateral form of L. sibilare "to hiss," possibly of imitative origin.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Dictionary.com, LLC. Copyright © 2012. All rights reserved.
  • Please Login or Sign Up to use the Recent Searches feature