different between witticise vs witticism

English

Alternative forms

• witticize (US)

Etymology

Back formation from witticism, modelled after the analogy of criticise from criticism.

Verb

witticise (third-person singular simple present witticises, present participle witticising, simple past and past participle witticised)

1. (transitive, intransitive) To express oneself wittily; to indulge in witticisms.
   • 2007, Andrea Stuart, The Rose of Martinique:

     Here she entertained a learned and decadent group of dissenters who gathered to discuss politics, flirt and witticize.

English

Etymology

witty +? -icism; coined in the 1670s by John Dryden, by analogy to criticism.

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /?w?.t?.s?z.?m/

Noun

witticism (plural witticisms)

1. a witty remark
   • 1883: George Eliot, The Essays of George Eliot, chapter 4

     Shock of the witticism is a powerful one; while mere fun will have no power over them if it jar on their moral taste.

   • 2015: Hans Rollman, Freedom of Speech: It’s Complicated, PopMatters

     While the occasional wry witticism seeps through, overall Shipler is painfully conscientious about trying to offer both sides of any debate.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:joke

Translations

See also

• bon mot
• gag
• jape
• joke
• one-liner