Repartee

  • 1Repartee — 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

  • 2Repartee — 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

  • 3repartee — index answer (reply) Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …

    Law dictionary

  • 4repartee — 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 …

    Etymology dictionary

  • 5repartee — *wit, humor, irony, sarcasm, satire Analogous words: retort, rejoinder, response (see under ANSWER vb): *badinage, persiflage, raillery …

    New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • 6repartee — [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

  • 7repartee — ► NOUN ▪ conversation or speech characterized by quick, witty comments or replies. ORIGIN from French repartie replied promptly …

    English terms dictionary

  • 8repartee — [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

  • 9repartee — 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

  • 10repartee — n. witty repartee * * * [ˌrepɑː tiː] witty repartee …

    Combinatory dictionary