clerihew

[ kler-uh-hyoo ]

/ ˈklɛr əˌhyu /

noun Prosody.

a light verse form, usually consisting of two couplets, with lines of uneven length and irregular meter, the first line usually containing the name of a well-known person.

Nearby words

cleric, clerical, clerical collar, clericalism, clericals, clerihew, clerisy, clerk, clerk of works, clerkess, clerkly

Origin of clerihew

1925–30; named after E. Clerihew Bentley (1875–1956), English writer, its inventor

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for clerihew

It became embarrassing, though, when Mrs. Clerihew accosted him next day with a precisely similar request.
Brother Copas|Sir Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch
The three kept sentry, knowing that Clerihew must sooner or later return with his convoy, there being no other exit.
Brother Copas|Sir Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch
For a good five minutes the pair mauled Mrs. Clerihew, who, with an air of high gentility, went on ironing shirts.
Brother Copas|Sir Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch
"I shall be happy for one," said Mrs. Clerihew, laying stress on the aspirate.
Brother Copas|Sir Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch

But Mrs. Clerihew, between her lapses, clung passionately to gentility and the world's esteem.
Brother Copas|Sir Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch

British Dictionary definitions for clerihew

clerihew

/ (ˈklɛrɪˌhjuː) /

noun

a form of comic or satiric verse, consisting of two couplets of metrically irregular lines, containing the name of a well-known person

Word Origin for clerihew

C20: named after Edmund Clerihew Bentley, who invented it

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012