Nearby Words

doggerel

[daw-ger-uhl, dog-er-] Example Sentences Origin

dog·ger·el

[daw-ger-uhl, dog-er-]
adjective
1.
(of verse)
a.
comic or burlesque, and usually loose or irregular in measure.
b.
rude; crude; poor.
noun
2.
doggerel verse.

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Doggerel is always a great word to know.
So is bezoar. Does it mean:
a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.
an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.
Also, dog·grel [daw-gruhl, dog-ruhl] .


Origin:
1350–1400; Middle English; see dog, -rel; compare dog Latin
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Example Sentences
  • His doggerel and sharp comments at these events were always enjoyed by the audience.
  • Morgan, in inspired to regale his subordinates with doggerel.
  • Some of these efforts are pure doggerel but others are well-crafted verse from some of our country's best poets.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
doggerel or dogrel (ˈdɒɡərəl, ˈdɒɡrəl)
 
n
1.  a.  comic verse, usually irregular in measure
 b.  (as modifier): a doggerel rhythm
2.  nonsense; drivel
 
[C14 dogerel worthless, perhaps from doggedog]
 
dogrel or dogrel
 
n
 
[C14 dogerel worthless, perhaps from doggedog]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

doggerel
1277 (as a surname, 1249), the root word probably from dog, applied to bad poetry perhaps with a suggestion of puppyish clumsiness, or being only fit for dogs.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia

doggerel

a low, or trivial, form of verse, loosely constructed and often irregular, but effective because of its simple mnemonic rhyme and loping metre. It appears in most literatures and societies as a useful form for comedy and satire. It is characteristic of children's game rhymes from ancient times to the present and of most nursery rhymes.

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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