1670s as verb, 1680s as noun. The origin is unknown, possibly from London street slang; ostensibly as *bant + -er (frequentative suffix). Possibly an Anglo-Gaelicism from the Irish bean (“woman”), so that "banter" means "talk of women."
Meanings
(uncountable) Sharp, good-humoured, playful, typically spontaneous conversation.
This bullying continuum illustrates the progressive escalation from harmless banter to bullying and criminal behaviours. 2007, Evelyn M. Field, Bully Blocking, page 17:
I was elected to the Executive Committee of the Vegetarian Society, and made it a point to attend every one of its meetings, but I always felt tongue-tied. Dr. Oldfield once said to me, 'You talk to me quite all right, but why is it that you never open your lips at a committee meeting? You are a drone.' I appreciated the banter. The bees are ever busy, the drone is a thorough idler. 1927–1929, M[ohandas] K[aramchand] Gandhi, chapter XVIII, in The Story of My Experiments with Truth: Translated from the Original in Gujarati, volume (please specify |volume=I or II), Ahmedabad, Gujarat: Navajivan Press, →OCLC:
(uncountable) Good-humoured bits of monologue and/or conversational prompts used in any of a wide range of occupations that must frequently interact with the public (for example, store clerks, salespersons, nurses).
1670s as verb, 1680s as noun. The origin is unknown, possibly from London street slang; ostensibly as *bant + -er (frequentative suffix). Possibly an Anglo-Gaelicism from the Irish bean (“woman”), so that "banter" means "talk of women."
Meanings
(intransitive) To engage in banter or playful conversation.
(intransitive) To play or do something amusing.
(transitive) To tease (someone) mildly.
Mr. Sweeting was bantered about his stature, he was a little man, a mere boy in height and breadth compared with the athletic Malone, […] 1849, Currer Bell [pseudonym; Charlotte Brontë], “Levitical”, in Shirley. A Tale. […], volume I, London: Smith, Elder and Co., […], →OCLC, page 8:
Here comes the muſty trader, running over vvith remonſtrances. I muſt banter the cit. 1760 January 28 (first performance), [Samuel] Foote, The Minor, a Comedy. […], London: […] J. Coote, […]; G[eorge] Kearsly, […]; T[homas] Davies, […], published 1760, →OCLC, Act II, page 56:
Hag-ridden by my own fancy all night, and then bantered on my haggard looks the next day. 1824, Geoffrey Crayon [pseudonym; Washington Irving], Tales of a Traveller, (please specify |part=1 to 4), Philadelphia, Pa.: H[enry] C[harles] Carey & I[saac] Lea, […], →OCLC:
(transitive) To joke about; to ridicule (a trait, habit, etc.).
June 1804, William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham
If they banter your regularity, order, and love of study, banter in return their neglect of them.
(transitive) To delude or trick; to play a prank upon.
[W]e diverted ourſelves vvith bantering ſeveral other poor Scholars, vvith hopes of being at leaſt his Lordſhip's Chaplains and putting on a Scarf; […] 1722 (indicated as 1721), [Daniel Defoe], The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders, &c. […], London: […] W[illiam Rufus] Chetwood, […]; and T. Edling, […], published 1722, →OCLC, pages 69–70:
(Southern, US, Western, colloquial, transitive) To challenge to a match.
fi pilailla (to engage in banter) · es divertirse (to play or do something amusing) · de verulken (to tease mildly) · es tomar el pelo a (to tease mildly) · fr taquiner (to tease mildly) · ru подтрунивать (to tease mildly) · tr muhabbet etmek (to engage in banter) · pl przekomarzać się (to tease mildly) · wa loumter (to engage in banter) · ru добродушно подшучивать (to tease mildly) · gl parolar (to engage in banter) · hu élcelődik (to tease mildly) · hu incselkedik (to tease mildly) · de auf den Arm nehmen (to tease mildly) · de plaudern (to engage in banter) · mk се за́дева (to engage in banter) · nl schertsen (to engage in banter) · is stríða (to tease mildly) · bg шегувам се (to tease mildly) · de spielen (to play or do something amusing) · de schäkern (to engage in banter) · de necken (to tease mildly) · cs vtipkovat (to engage in banter) · hu évődik (to tease mildly) · es charlar (to engage in banter) · es bacilar (to play or do something amusing) · bg закачам се (to tease mildly) · it stuzzicare (to tease mildly) · tr takılmak (to tease mildly) · bg задявам се (to engage in banter) · io moketar (to tease mildly) · de sticheln (to tease mildly) · de albern (to engage in banter) · pl przekomarzać się (to engage in banter) · cs žertovat (to engage in banter) · de sich necken (to tease mildly) · fi kiusoitella (to tease mildly) · es burlarse de (to tease mildly) · de Spaß haben (to play or do something amusing) · es torear (to tease mildly) · de sich vergnügen (to play or do something amusing) · fi leikitellä (to play or do something amusing) · pl robić psikus (to play or do something amusing) · es bromear (to engage in banter) · mk се ше́гува (to tease mildly) · mi whakatara (to engage in banter) · fr s'amuser (to play or do something amusing) · pt bulir (to tease mildly) · az sataşmaq (to tease mildly) · de scherzen (to engage in banter) · pl zrobić psikus (to play or do something amusing) · de necken (to engage in banter) · es vacilar (to play or do something amusing) · pt caçoar (to tease mildly) · fr badiner (to engage in banter) · es vacilar (to tease mildly) · cs laškovat (to play or do something amusing) · ru поддразнивать (to tease mildly) · cs škádlit (to tease mildly) · cs vtipkovat (to play or do something amusing) · hu ugrat (to tease mildly) · es chacotear (to tease mildly) · hu csipkelődik (to tease mildly) · cs žertovat (to play or do something amusing) · de sich amüsieren (to play or do something amusing) · nl plagen (to tease mildly) · cmn 談笑 /谈笑 (to tease mildly) · de sich necken (to engage in banter)