Pleasantries

"Undergrowth with a Couple", oil on canvas, 50.0 x 100.5 cm, between June 18 and 22, 1890.
Cincinnati Art Museum, Cincinnati, USA.

pleas·ant·ry (plzn-tr)
n. pl. pleas·ant·ries
1. A humorous remark or act; a jest.
2. A polite social utterance; a civility: exchanged pleasantries before getting down to business.
3. A good-humored or playful manner in conversation or social relations.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[French plaisanterie, from Old French plesanterie, from plaisant, pleasant; see pleasant.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved