repartee

repartee
repartee 1640s, "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 (Cf. part)). Meaning "a series of sharp rejoinders exchanged" is from 1680s.

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

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  • Repartee — Rep ar*tee (r?p 3r t? ), n. [F. repartie, fr. repartir to reply, depart again; pref. re re partir to part, depart. See {Part}.] A smart, ready, and witty reply. [1913 Webster] Cupid was as bad as he; Hear but the youngster s repartee. Prior.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Repartee — Rep ar*tee , v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Reparteed} ( t?d ); p. pr. & vb. n. {Reparteeing}.] To make smart and witty replies. [R.] Prior. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • repartee — index answer (reply) Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • repartee — *wit, humor, irony, sarcasm, satire Analogous words: retort, rejoinder, response (see under ANSWER vb): *badinage, persiflage, raillery …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • repartee — [n] pleasant conversation answer, badinage, banter, bon mot*, comeback, humor, irony, persiflage, pleasantry, quip, raillery, rejoinder, reply, response, retort, riposte, sally, sarcasm, satire, wit, witticism, wittiness, wordplay; concepts 45,56 …   New thesaurus

  • repartee — ► NOUN ▪ conversation or speech characterized by quick, witty comments or replies. ORIGIN from French repartie replied promptly …   English terms dictionary

  • repartee — [rep΄är tē′, rep΄ärtā′] n. [Fr repartie, fem. pp. of repartir, to return quickly a thrust or a blow, reply < re , back + partir (L partire), to PART2] 1. a quick, witty reply 2. a series of such rejoinders 3. skill in making witty replies SYN …   English World dictionary

  • repartee — 1. noun a) A swift, witty retort. Yet habit strange thing! what cannot habit accomplish? Gayer sallies, more merry mirth, better jokes, and brighter repartees, you never heard over your mahogany... b) A conversation marked by a series of witty… …   Wiktionary

  • repartee — n. witty repartee * * * [ˌrepɑː tiː] witty repartee …   Combinatory dictionary

  • repartee — [[t]re̱pɑː(r)ti͟ː, AM pərte͟ɪ[/t]] N UNCOUNT Repartee is conversation that consists of quick, witty comments and replies. She was good at repartee …   English dictionary

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