Word of the Day

: August 16, 2008

farce

noun FAHRSS

What It Means

1 : a light dramatic composition marked by broadly satirical comedy and improbable plot

2 : the broad humor characteristic of farce or pretense

3 a : ridiculous or empty show

b : mockery

farce in Context

"No wonder we're late -- the management of traffic in this city is a farce!" Lyle complained.

Did You Know?

When "farce" first appeared in English, it had to do with cookery, not comedy. In the 14th century, English adopted "farce" from Middle French, retaining its original meaning of "forcemeat" or "stuffing." The comedic sense of "farce" in English dates from the 16th century, when England imported a kind of knockabout comedy already popular in France. This dramatic genre had its origins in the 13th-century practice of augmenting, or "stuffing," Latin church texts with explanatory phrases. By the 15th century, a similar practice had arisen of inserting unscripted buffoonery into religious plays. Such farces -- which included clowning, acrobatics, reversal of social roles, and indecency -- soon developed into a distinct dramatic genre and spread rapidly in various forms throughout Europe.