jester
verbEtymology From Middle English gestour; equivalent to jest + -er.
1
To act in a foolish or clownish way for the purpose of entertainment or attracting attention.
- Synonyms
- jest, jestermaxxing
jester
nounUK /ˈd͡ʒɛs.tə/ · US /ˈd͡ʒɛs.tɚ/
Etymology From Middle English gestour; equivalent to jest + -er.
1
One who jests, jokes or teases.
- As resident jester at the maverick journalism outlet The Free Press, Nellie Bowles scours the news for the absurd and hypocritical, and then skewers the best of the worst in her column, TGIF.2025 February 26, Roy Rivenburg, “Nellie Bowles of The Free Press punctures pretension left and right”, in The Christian Science Monitor:
2
A person in colourful garb and fool's cap who amused a medieval and early modern royal or noble court.
3
Any of various nymphalid butterflies of the Southeast Asian genus Symbrenthia.
- Synonyms
- buffoon, clown, joker, fool, jestress, fiddle, jester, joculator, joculatrix, merryman, motley fool, railleur
- Derived terms
- court jester, jestermaxx
- Hypernyms
- person
- Hyponyms
- harlequin, pantaloon, court jester, Merry Andrew, pickle-herring