limerick

¹

[ lim-er-ik ]

noun

1. a kind of humorous verse of five lines, in which the first, second, and fifth lines rhyme with each other, and the third and fourth lines, which are shorter, form a rhymed couplet.

Limerick

²

[ lim-er-ik ]

noun

1. a county in N Munster, in the SW Republic of Ireland. 037 sq. mi. (2,686 sq. km).
2. its county seat: a seaport at the head of the Shannon estuary.
3. Angling. a fishhook having a sharp bend below the barb.

limerick

¹

/ ˈlɪmərɪk /

noun

1. a form of comic verse consisting of five anapaestic lines of which the first, second, and fifth have three metrical feet and rhyme together and the third and fourth have two metrical feet and rhyme together

Limerick

²

/ ˈlɪmərɪk /

noun

1. a county of SW Republic of Ireland, in N Munster province: consists chiefly of an undulating plain with rich pasture and mountains in the south. County town: Limerick. Pop: 175 304 (2002). Area: 2686 sq km (1037 sq miles)
2. a port in SW Republic of Ireland, county town of Limerick, at the head of the Shannon estuary. Pop: 86 998 (2002)

limerick

1. A form of humorous five-line verse , such as:

   There once was a young man from Kew

   Who found a dead mouse in his stew.

   Said the waiter, “Don't shout

   Or wave it about,

   Or the rest will be wanting one too!”

Word History and Origins

Origin of limerick¹

1895–1900; after Limerick; allegedly from social gatherings where the group sang “Will you come up to Limerick?” after each set of verses, extemporized in turn by the members of the party

Word History and Origins

Origin of limerick¹

C19: allegedly from will you come up to Limerick?, a refrain sung between nonsense verses at a party

Example Sentences

No alarms were triggered as she strolled out of the Giant supermarket in Limerick, Pennsylvania, and nobody thought otherwise.

From The Daily Beast

I was born in Limerick city but grew up in a small town in County Donegal—remote, windy, lots of rain.

From The Daily Beast

As a teenager in 1952, Lee became pregnant and was immediately sent to a convent in Roscrea, County Limerick.

From The Daily Beast

And I was trying to illustrate that with a more familiar example, which would be something like the repetition of a limerick.

From The Daily Beast

He was taken to a place in Ireland called Limerick where he suffered undue hardships as opposed to due hardships.

From The Daily Beast

Now the Waterford and Limerick were to lose, not only the Ennis line, but all their lines and their own identity as well.

From Project Gutenberg

On the 8th we ran our first running power train, and the Joy Bells rang in Limerick.

From Project Gutenberg

If only we could obtain running powers to Limerick and carry them back to Ireland, we should have secured some of the spoil.

From Project Gutenberg

Clanricarde himself dared not say a word, and Limerick threatened to be soon as bad as Galway.

From Project Gutenberg

He had spoiled the Sheriff of Limerick and threatened to cut his tongue out for complaining.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• ballad
• composition
• epic
• lyric
• poetry
• rhyme
• sonnet
• verse
• writing