Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

persiflage

/ˈpɝː.sɪ.flɑːʒ/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.15 in modern English

Syllables: per-si-flage
IPA: /ˈpɝː.sɪ.flɑːʒ/

16

Scrabble Score

10

Letters

3

Syllables

9

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Good-natured banter; raillery.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

Frivolous, lighthearted discussion of a topic.

Countable; Uncountable

Example Sentences

"After the third strike he returned to the bench to face the inevitable persiflage from his teammates."
"No one can deny Lady Charlotte Bury's assertion, that no well-regulated young female will ever indulge in a species of amusement so improper as flirtation; but it must be admitted, that having a pleasant partner is preferable to not dancing, and that a little persiflage, a little raillery, a little flattery, go far to make a partner pleasant."
"Polite dinner calls for persiflage rather than in-depth possibly offensive discussion."

Etymology

From French persiflage, from persifler (“to quiz, tease, mock”), from per- + siffler (“to whistle”), from Latin sībilō (“whistle”).

Origin

Source language: French

Word Breakdown

Root: persiflage, sībilō

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈpɝː.sɪ.flɑːʒ/
British English: /ˈpɜː.sɪ.flɑːʒ/

Usage

Inflected Forms

persiflages (plural)

Derived Forms

persiflageous persiflate

Synonyms

banter raillery

Questions

How do you pronounce persiflage?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈpɝː.sɪ.flɑːʒ/.
What does persiflage mean?: Good-natured banter; raillery.
Where does persiflage come from?: It is traced to French.

How to pronounce persiflage

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