ditty

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Old French ditie or dité, from ditier, from Latin dictāre (participle dictatus).

Pronunciation

  • (UK) IPA(key): /ˈdɪti/
  • Audio (US)(file)
  • Audio (UK)(file)
  • Rhymes: -ɪti

Noun

ditty (plural ditties)

  1. A short verse or tune.
    The Acme mattress ditty has been stuck in my head all day.
    • John Milton
      religious, martial, or civil ditties
    • Sandys
      And to the warbling lute soft ditties sing.
  2. A saying or utterance, especially one that is short and frequently repeated.
    • Edmund Spenser
      O, too high ditty for my simple rhyme.

Translations

Verb

ditty (third-person singular simple present ditties, present participle dittying, simple past and past participle dittied)

  1. To sing; to warble a little tune.
    • Herbert
      Beasts fain would sing; birds ditty to their notes.

See also

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