farce

[ fahrs ]
/ fɑrs /

noun

a light, humorous play in which the plot depends upon a skillfully exploited situation rather than upon the development of character.
humor of the type displayed in such works.
foolish show; mockery; a ridiculous sham.
Cookery. forcemeat.

verb (used with object), farced, farc·ing.

to season (a speech or composition), especially with witty material.
Obsolete. to stuff; cram.

Origin of farce

1300–50; (noun) Middle English fars stuffing < Middle French farce < Vulgar Latin *farsa, noun use of feminine of Latin farsus, earlier fartus stuffed, past participle of farcīre to stuff; (v.) Middle English farsen < Old French farcir < Latin farcīre

OTHER WORDS FROM farce

un·farced, adjective

Example sentences from the Web for farce

British Dictionary definitions for farce

farce
/ (fɑːs) /

noun

a broadly humorous play based on the exploitation of improbable situations
the genre of comedy represented by works of this kind
a ludicrous situation or action
Also: farcemeat another name for forcemeat

verb (tr) obsolete

to enliven (a speech, etc) with jokes
to stuff (meat, fowl, etc) with forcemeat

Word Origin for farce

C14 (in the sense: stuffing): from Old French, from Latin farcīre to stuff, interpolate passages (in the mass, in religious plays, etc)