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haiku

 - 4 dictionary results

hai⋅ku

  [hahy-koo]
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–noun, plural -ku for 2.
1. a major form of Japanese verse, written in 17 syllables divided into 3 lines of 5, 7, and 5 syllables, and employing highly evocative allusions and comparisons, often on the subject of nature or one of the seasons.
2. a poem written in this form.
Origin:
1895–1900; < Japn, equiv. to hai(kai) haikai + ku stanza; see hokku
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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hai·ku   (hī'kōō)   
n.   pl. haiku also hai·kus

  1. A Japanese lyric verse form having three unrhymed lines of five, seven, and five syllables, traditionally invoking an aspect of nature or the seasons.

  2. A poem written in this form.


[Japanese : hai, amusement (from Middle Chinese bəij, pha·j) + ku, sentence (from Middle Chinese kuəh).]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Cultural Dictionary

haiku [(heye-kooh)]

A form of Japanese poetry. A haiku expresses a single feeling or impression and contains three unrhymed lines of five, seven, and five syllables, respectively.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

haiku 
1899, from Japanese, where it is singular of haikai, in haikai no renga "jesting linked-verse;" originally a succession of haiku linked together into one poem. The form developed mid-16c.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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