limerick


Also found in: Thesaurus, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.

Lim·er·ick

 (lĭm′ər-ĭk, lĭm′rĭk)
A city of southwest Ireland on the Shannon River estuary. It was an important Norse settlement in the 9th and 10th centuries and was taken by the English in the late 12th century.

lim·er·ick

 (lĭm′ər-ĭk)
n.
A light humorous, nonsensical, or bawdy verse of five usually anapestic lines with the rhyme scheme aabba, in which the first, second, and fifth lines are in trimeter, and the third and fourth lines are in dimeter.

[After Limerick.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

limerick

(ˈlɪmərɪk)
n
(Poetry) a form of comic verse consisting of five anapaestic lines of which the first, second, and fifth have three metrical feet and rhyme together and the third and fourth have two metrical feet and rhyme together
[C19: allegedly from will you come up to Limerick?, a refrain sung between nonsense verses at a party]

Limerick

(ˈlɪmərɪk)
n
1. (Placename) a county of SW Republic of Ireland, in N Munster province: consists chiefly of an undulating plain with rich pasture and mountains in the south. County town: Limerick. Pop: 175 304 (2002). Area: 2686 sq km (1037 sq miles)
2. (Placename) a port in SW Republic of Ireland, county town of Limerick, at the head of the Shannon estuary. Pop: 86 998 (2002)
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

lim•er•ick

(ˈlɪm ər ɪk)

n.
a kind of humorous poem in which lines one, two and five rhyme, and lines three and four form a rhymed couplet.
[1895–1900; Limerick, Ireland]

Lim•er•ick

(ˈlɪm ər ɪk)

n.
1. a county in N Munster, in the SW Republic of Ireland. 107,963; 1037 sq. mi. (2686 sq. km).
2. its county seat: a seaport at the head of the Shannon estuary. 60,721.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

limerick

A five-line comic verse, the third and fourth lines shorter and rhyming, the other lines sharing a different rhyme.
Dictionary of Unfamiliar Words by Diagram Group Copyright © 2008 by Diagram Visual Information Limited
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.limerick - port city in southwestern IrelandLimerick - port city in southwestern Ireland  
Eire, Ireland, Irish Republic, Republic of Ireland - a republic consisting of 26 of 32 counties comprising the island of Ireland; achieved independence from the United Kingdom in 1921
2.limerick - a humorous verse form of 5 anapestic lines with a rhyme scheme aabba
rhyme, verse - a piece of poetry
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
Translations
druh žertovné rýmovačky
limerick
limerikki
limerick
limra
humoristinis eilėraštislimerikas
humoristisks dzejolis
beş dizeli nükteli şiirhicviye

limerick

[ˈlɪmərɪk] nlimerick m
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

limerick

nLimerick m
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

limerick

(ˈlimərik) noun
a type of humorous poem with five lines, the third and fourth lines being shorter than the others.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
References in classic literature ?
Nor did we touch any more at any place, till, being driven on the coast of Ireland by a very hard gale of wind, the ship came to an anchor in a little bay, near the mouth of a river, whose name I remember not, but they said the river came down from Limerick, and that it was the largest river in Ireland.
I spent about two pounds on sixpenny postal orders when the Limerick craze was on, and didn't win a thing.
AARON GILLANE led the Limerick onslaught as the reigning All-Ireland champions continued their redemption with a stunning win over Clare.
Laois 0-11 Limerick 2-22 BY CONOR MCKENNA LIMERICK advanced to the semi-finals of the Allianz League, after a 17 point rout over Laois at O'Moore Park last night.
The Saturday Evening Post wilt award $700 to the author of the winning limerick for the illustration below by Albert W.
[ClickPress, Thu Nov 24 2011] Radisson Blu Hotel and Spa, Limerick has pledged its support for "Living in a Window", an annual project run by Limerick's Live 95FM which raises funds for two worthwhile Limerick children's charities: CARI (Children at Risk in Ireland) and The Children's Ark Unit at the Midwestern Regional Hospital, Dooradoyle.
THE ECHO's Limerick Laughs competition has provoked a fantastic reader response, proving that the art of writing these funny, five-line poems is alive and well.
Bown and Connor O'Brien, "A Celebration of Limerick's Silver" is a superbly illustrated history of the creations of Limerick silversmiths and goldsmiths.
In the last issue of Word Ways, Kickshaws became Limerickshaws, a special edition celebrating the 100th anniversary of the 1907 British Limerick Craze.