(From the French facétieux and facétie, from the Latin facetia, "a jest", from the Latin facetus, "elegant, witty") Joking or trying to be jocular, especially at an inappropriate time. Known historic usages of this meaning include in Ben Johnson's The fountaine of selfe-love, or Cynthias revels in 1599 ("My sweet facetious rascall"), in William Camden's Remaines of a greater worke concerning Britaine in 1605 ("It was then thought facetious"), in Isaac Barrow's Sermons circa 1677 ("Facetious speech there serves onely to obstruct and entangle business"), and in William Sewel's The history of the rise, increase, and progress of the Christian people called Quakers in 1722 ("Intermixed the serious part sometimes with a facetious accident").