ditty

English [edit]

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

ditty (plural ditties)

A short verse or tune.

The Acme mattress ditty has been stuck in my head all day.
- Milton
  
  Religious, martial, or civil ditties.
- Sandys
  
  And to the warbling lute soft ditties sing.
A saying or utterance, especially one that is short and frequently repeated.
- Spenser
  
  O, too high ditty for my simple rhyme.

a short verse or tune

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

To sing; to warble a little tune.
- Herbert
  
  Beasts fain would sing; birds ditty to their notes.