- ditty
- ditty "short song," c.1300, from O.Fr. ditie "composition, poem, treatise," from L. dictatum "thing dictated," neut. pp. of dictare "dictate" (see DICTATE (Cf. dictate) (v.)).
Etymology dictionary. 2014.
ditty
Look at other dictionaries:
Ditty — Dit ty, n.; pl. {Ditties}. [OE. dite, OF. diti[ e], fr. L. dictatum, p. p. neut. of dictare to say often, dictate, compose. See {Dictate}, v. t.] 1. A saying or utterance; especially, one that is short and frequently repeated; a theme. [1913… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Ditty — Dit ty, v. i. To sing; to warble a little tune. [1913 Webster] Beasts fain would sing; birds ditty to their notes. Herbert. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
ditty — [n] song ballad, composition, jingle, tune; concept 595 … New thesaurus
ditty — ► NOUN (pl. ditties) ▪ a short simple song. ORIGIN Old French dite composition , from Latin dictare to dictate … English terms dictionary
ditty — [dit′ē] n. pl. ditties [ME dite < OFr dité < L dictatum, thing dictated, neut. pp. of dictare: see DICTATE] a short, simple song … English World dictionary
ditty — n. 1) to sing a ditty 2) a popular ditty * * * [ dɪtɪ] a popular ditty to sing a ditty … Combinatory dictionary
Ditty — Recorded in a number of spellings including Dite, Ditt, and Ditte, the patronymics Ditts and Dittson, the diminutives Dittie and Ditty, and the occupational Diter, Ditter and Ditour, this is an English surname. However it probably derives from… … Surnames reference
ditty — I n A short song. Since me a little ditty before you go to bed. 1300s II n A trinket. Give me that ditty, will you? 1990s … Historical dictionary of American slang
ditty — UK [ˈdɪtɪ] / US noun [countable] Word forms ditty : singular ditty plural ditties often humorous a short simple song or poem … English dictionary
ditty — noun A short verse or tune. The Acme mattress ditty has been stuck in my head all day … Wiktionary
