jest

An act performed for amusement; a joke.archaic

• I made that comment in jest; it wasn't serious.

Someone or something that is ridiculed; the target of a joke.archaic

• Your majesty, stop him before he makes you the jest of the court.

A deed; an action; a gest.obsolete

• the jests or actions of princes

A mask; a pageant; an interlude.obsolete

• He promised us, in honour of our guest, / To grace our banquet with some pompous jest.

To tell a joke; to talk in a playful manner; to make fun of something or someone.

• Surely you jest!

Pronunciation spelling of just.ShropshireSouthern-USalt-of

• So I jest called out to know what was up, and found it was Miss Vanholte's cowboys, who had been forced into the store by them rascally ruffins.
• "Jest like the Injian puzzle-boxes, ain't they?" said Dan, as the one boat dropped into the other.