roundelay

English

WOTD – 22 July 2012    

Wikipedia

Alternative forms

• rondelay

Etymology

From Middle French rondelet, diminutive of Old French rondel (French: rondeau). Ending -lay either from lay (“ballad or sung poem”), or from virelay.

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈɹaʊndɪˌleɪ/

Noun

roundelay (plural roundelays)

1. (music) A poem or song having a line or phrase repeated at regular intervals.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Spenser to this entry?)

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Tennyson to this entry?)

2. A dance in a circle.
3. Anything having a round form; a roundel.

See also

• rondeau
• roundel