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A.Word.A.Day--persiflage

Pronunciation RealAudio

persiflage (PUR-sih-flazh) noun

Light-hearted or flippant treatment of a subject; banter.

[From French persiflage, from persifler (to banter), from per- (thoroughly) + siffler (to whistle or hiss), from Old French, from Late Latin sifilare, an alteration of Latin sibilare (to hiss).]

See more usage examples of persiflage in Vocabulary.com's dictionary.

"It is derivative rather than destructive humour which presupposes serious history on which to base their persiflage." Stewart Lamont; It's the Way You Tell Them, When Something is Sacred; The Herald (Glasgow, UK); May 30, 1998.

This week's theme: miscellaneous words.

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