banter

Etymology

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."

noun

1. 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

verb

1. (intransitive) To engage in banter or playful conversation.
2. (intransitive) To play or do something amusing.
3. (transitive) To tease (someone) mildly.
4. (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.
5. (transitive) To delude or trick; to play a prank upon.
6. (transitive, US, Southern and Western, colloquial) To challenge to a match.
7. (UK, dialect) To haggle; cheapen the price.