repartee
NounUS[rep-er-tee]/ˌrɛpɚˈti/3 syllables
Open English WordNet
Word of the day · Nov 7About this word
perennialadjective
What does it mean? Question 1 of today’s quiz
Webster's Dictionary (1913)
Rep′ar·tee′ (r?p′3r-t?′), noun
Origin: F. repartie, fr. repartir to reply, depart again; pref. re- re- partir to part, depart. See Part.
A smart, ready, and witty reply.
Cupid was as bad as he; Hear but the youngster's repartee.— Matthew Prior
Synonyms: Retort; reply. See Retort.
Rep′ar·tee′ intransitive verb [past tense & past participle Reparteed (-t?d′); present participle & verbal noun Reparteeing.]
To make smart and witty replies. rare Matthew Prior
Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54
The Devil's Dictionary
REPARTEE, n. Prudent insult in retort. Practiced by gentlemen with a constitutional aversion to violence, but a strong disposition to offend. In a war of words, the tactics of the North American Indian.