virelay

or vir·e·lai

[ vir-uh-ley ]

/ ˈvɪr əˌleɪ /

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noun Prosody.

an old French form of short poem, composed of short lines running on two rhymes and having two opening lines recurring at intervals.

any of various similar or other forms of poem, as one consisting of stanzas made up of longer and shorter lines, the lines of each kind rhyming together in each stanza, and having the rhyme of the shorter lines of one stanza forming the rhyme of the longer lines of the next stanza.

a medieval song form providing a musical setting for a virelay but having a formal structure different from that of the poem.

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Origin of virelay

1350–1400; Middle English <Old French virelai, alteration (see lay⁴) of vireli, virli jingle used as the refrain of a song

Words nearby virelay

viral marketing, Vira Saiva, Virazole, Vir Chakra, Virchow, virelay, virement, viremia, Viren, vireo, vires

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use virelay in a sentence

This may be called a virelay in the English sense, and is possibly what Chaucer intended by that name.
Chaucer's Works, Volume 6 (of 7) -- Introduction, Glossary, and Indexes|Geoffrey Chaucer
It is not a true Virelay (in the French sense), and first appeared in the edition of 1561; see vol.
Chaucer's Works, Volume 3 (of 7)|Geoffrey Chaucer
The chevalier was singing a virelay which he accompanied by striking Rolande against the branches, then barren of foliage.
The Barber of Paris|Charles Paul de Kock
The virelay seems to have been in vogue in earlier English poetry.
A History of English Versification|Jakob Schipper

A Virelay is a poem in an unusual metre, of which examples are very rare.
Chaucer's Works, Volume 3 (of 7)|Geoffrey Chaucer

British Dictionary definitions for virelay

virelay

/ (ˈvɪrɪˌleɪ) /

noun

an old French verse form, rarely used in English, consisting of short lines arranged in stanzas having only two rhymes, and two opening lines recurring at intervals

any of various similar forms

Word Origin for virelay

C14: from Old French virelai, probably from vireli (associated with lai lay 4), meaningless word used as a refrain

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