What does wicopy mean?
Wicopy is an obsolete English noun for a witty or humorous saying, especially one delivered as a quick retort. In its historical use, the word suggested not merely something funny but also a degree of cleverness: a wicopy could be a quip, a jest, or a neatly phrased witticism. Dictionaries record it chiefly in the sense of a quip, and it is not normally used in contemporary British or American English. Because it is literary and dated, the word now appears chiefly in quotations from older writing, discussions of historical language, or deliberately antiquarian contexts. In those settings, it can add a period flavour and emphasize the concise, memorable quality of a remark. The modern vocabulary that most directly overlaps with wicopy includes quip, jest, and witticism, while a wicopy specifically suggests a short, clever saying rather than a long humorous story. For present-day prose, speakers would normally choose one of those established modern terms instead.
nounAn obsolete word for a witty or humorous saying, especially a concise remark or quip.
- A witty or humorous saying, especially a brief, clever remark or quip.
"Her reply was a wicopy that silenced the entire gathering."
"The courtier answered the accusation with a wicopy that won the monarch's approval."
"The antiquarian dismissed the epigram as a particularly elegant wicopy."
The regular historical plural is wicopies, though the singular noun itself is now obsolete.
"The writer collected wicopies and memorable exchanges from her notebooks."
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of wicopy
Wicopy is an English word recorded in nineteenth- and early twentieth-century dictionaries. It is generally treated as an obsolete formation, and a secure derivation or cognate set is not established in standard references, so assigning it a specific source would be speculative.
Related word forms
How wicopy is actually used
The word is now obsolete and occurs mainly in older literature, historical quotations, or deliberately antiquarian writing. In modern usage, quip or jest is the usual choice.