Word of the Day

: March 17, 2022

limerick

noun LIM-uh-rik

What It Means

A limerick is a humorous rhyming poem of five lines.

// The students were asked to compose limericks to help them learn about poetry's use of meter and rhyme.

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limerick in Context

"Since my skill at composing haikus is yet to be tested, I thought I would submit a limerick instead…." — Monte Briggs, The Advocate (Louisiana), 13 Aug. 2021

Did You Know?

A limerick is a short, humorous five-line poem. While the origin of this type of verse is unknown, some believe that the name limerick comes from the chorus of an 18th-century Irish soldiers' song "Will You Come Up to Limerick?" to which were added impromptu verses. The Limerick referenced in this chorus is a port city in southwestern Ireland.