ditty
[dit-ee]
noun, plural dit·ties.
a poem intended to be sung.
a short, simple song.
verb (used without object), dit·tied, dit·ty·ing.
Obsolete. to sing.
verb (used with object), dit·tied, dit·ty·ing.
Obsolete. to set to or celebrate in music.
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RELATED WORDS
Nearby words
- ditto mark,
- dittograph,
- dittographic,
- dittography,
- dittrich's plug,
- ditty bag,
- ditty box,
- ditz,
- ditzy,
- diu
Origin of ditty
1250–1300; Middle English dite < Anglo-French, Old French dit(i)e poem, noun use of past participle of ditier to compose < Latin dictāre; see dictate
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for ditty
ditty
noun plural -ties
Word Origin for ditty
C13: from Old French ditie poem, from ditier to compose, from Latin dictāre dictate
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
ditty
"short song," c.1300, from Old French ditie "composition, poem, treatise," from Latin dictatum "thing dictated," neuter past participle of dictare "dictate" (see dictate (v.)).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper