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repartee

 - 3 dictionary results

rep⋅ar⋅tee

  [rep-er-tee, -tey, -ahr-]
–noun
1. a quick, witty reply.
2. conversation full of such replies.
3. skill in making such replies.
Use repartee in a Sentence
Origin:
1635–45; < F repartie retort, n. use of fem. ptp. of repartir, MF, equiv. to re- re- + partir to part

Synonyms:
2. banter, sparring, fencing.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2010.
Cite This Source Link To repartee
rep·ar·tee   (rěp'ər-tē', -tā', -är-)   
n.  

  1. A swift, witty reply.

  2. Conversation marked by the exchange of witty retorts. See Synonyms at wit1.


[French repartie, from feminine past participle of repartir, to retort, from Old French, to retort, to depart again : re-, re- + partir, to depart (from Latin partīre, to divide, from pars, part-, part; see perə-2 in Indo-European roots).]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

repartee 
c.1645, "quick remark," from Fr. repartie "an answering blow or thrust" (originally a fencing term), noun use of fem. pp. of O.Fr. repartir "to reply promptly, start out again," from re- "back" + partir "to part, depart, start" (see part). Meaning "a series of sharp rejoinders exchanged" is from 1688.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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