ditty

Borrowed from Old French ditie or dité, from ditier, from Latin dictāre (participle dictatus).

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈdɪti/

• Audio (US)

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• Audio (UK)

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• Homophones: diddy (US)
• Rhymes: -ɪti

ditty (plural ditties)

1. A short verse or tune.

   The Acme mattress ditty has been stuck in my head all day.

   • John Milton

     religious, martial, or civil ditties

   • Sandys

     And to the warbling lute soft ditties sing.

2. A saying or utterance, especially one that is short and frequently repeated.
   • Edmund Spenser

     O, too high ditty for my simple rhyme.

ditty (third-person singular simple present ditties, present participle dittying, simple past and past participle dittied)

1. To sing; to warble a little tune.
   • Herbert

     Beasts fain would sing; birds ditty to their notes.

• ditty bag
• doggerel
• jingle