English
joke
Joke comes from Latin iocus ‘joke, jest, pastime’, from Proto-Italic *jokos ‘word, (playful?) saying’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *yek- ‘to speak, utter’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*yek-‘to speak’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*yokos‘word’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*jokos‘word’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEiocus‘joke’
- Englishearliest quotation 1708joke
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*yek-‘to speak’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*yokos‘word’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*jokos‘word’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEiocus‘joke’
- Englishearliest quotation 1708joke
Earliest quotation: 1708, John Gay: “Or witty joke our airy senses moves / To…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *yek- ‘to speak, utter’
through Latin iocus ‘joke, jest, pastime’
Today it means
noun An amusing story.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *yek- / joke