Eutrapelia

Eutrapelia comes from the Greek for 'wittiness' (εὐτραπελία), referring to pleasantness in conversation. It is one of Aristotle's virtues, the "golden mean" between boorishness (ἀγροικία) and buffoonery (βωμολοχία). Later on it came to mostly signify jokes that were obscene and coarse. The word appears only once in the New Testament, in Ephesians 5:4, where it is translated "coarse jesting" in the NIV.

References

• Foster, Edgar. "Foster's Theological Reflections: Brief Word Study on Eutrapelia". Retrieved 2009-06-02.
• Hoffmann, Tobias. “Eutrapelia: The Right Attitude toward Amusement.” In Mots médiévaux offerts à Ruedi Imbach, edited by Iñigo Atucha, Dragos Calma, Catherine König-Pralong, and Irene Zavattero, 267–77. F.I.D.E.M. Textes et études du moyen âge. Porto: Fédération Internationale des Instituts d’Études Médiévales, 2011.