cheville
[ shuh-vee ]
nounProsody.
a word or expression whose only function is to fill a metrical gap in a verse or to balance a sentence.
Origin of cheville
1First recorded in 1880–85; from French: literally, “ankle, dowel, peg, plug,” the last sense giving rise to the English meaning of a filler word or phrase in a sentence or line of verse, from Latin clāvicula “key, tendril, pivot”; see clavicle
- Compare expletive (def. 2).
Words Nearby cheville
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use cheville in a sentence
He employed no poetical cheville for the metre of a verse which his own feelings inspired.
Calamities and Quarrels of Authors | Isaac Disraeli
Browse