ditty - definition, synonyms and pronunciation

Open English WordNet

a short simple song (or the words of a poem intended to be sung)Type of song, vocal

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Dit′ty noun; pl. Ditties (#).

Origin: OE. dite, OF. ditié, fr. L. dictatum, p. p. neut. of dictare to say often, dictate, compose. See Dictate, transitive verb

1. A saying or utterance; especially, one that is short and frequently repeated; a theme.

O, too high ditty for my simple rhyme.— Edmund Spenser

2. A song; a lay; a little poem intended to be sung. “Religious, martial, or civil ditties.” John Milton

And to the warbling lute soft ditties sing.— George Sandys

Dit′ty intransitive verb

To sing; to warble a little tune.

Beasts fain would sing; birds ditty to their notes.— George Herbert

Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54