Asteism

1 definition found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Asteism \As"te*ism\, n. [Gr. ? refined and witty talk, fr. ? of
     the town, polite, witty, fr. ? city: cf. F. ast['e]isme.]
     (Rhet.)
     Genteel irony; a polite and ingenious manner of deriding
     another.
     [1913 Webster]