facete

adjective

fa·​cete fə-ˈsēt 

archaic

: facetious, witty

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin facētus "clever, choosing or judging adeptly, witty," of uncertain origin

Note: Associated by ancient writers, sometimes in a punning manner, with faciō, facere "to do, make" (see fact), though this etymology is plausible neither semantically nor derivationally. A modern etymology connects it with fac-, fax "torch, light" (see facula), assuming an earlier meaning "bright" for facētus, shifting to "clever," though the assumption of a noun *facēs parallel to fax is questionable.

First Known Use

1600, in the meaning defined above