Doggerel is poetry that is irregular in rhythm and rhyme, often deliberately so for burlesque or comic effect, though the term can also describe verse with a monotonous rhythm, easy rhyme and trivial meaning. It has appeared since ancient times in the literatures of many cultures and is especially characteristic of nursery rhymes and children's songs, with Chaucer's Tale of Sir Thopas among its notable examples.
Facts
Place of OriginEngland; the word is Middle English, in use as an adjective since the 14th century and a noun since at least 1630. 1 Notable ExampleWilliam McGonagall's The Tay Bridge Disaster, the poem that made the Scottish poet famous for doggerel. 1 Defining TraitVerse with a monotonous rhythm, easy rhyme, and cheap or trivial meaning, often deliberately written for burlesque or comic effect. 1 FAQs
Where does the word doggerel come from?
From Middle English dogerel, probably derived from dog.
The word is derived from the Middle English dogerel, which is probably a derivative of dog. In English it has been used as an adjective since the 14th century and as a noun since at least 1630.
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Source Doggerel (Wikipedia)tier 2
Sources
1. Doggerel (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia Foundation (Wikipedia)Lead section, second sentence
Alternatively, it can mean verse which has a monotonous rhythm, easy rhyme, and cheap or trivial meaning.
Lead section, second paragraph, opening sentence
The word is derived from the Middle English dogerel, probably a derivative of dog.
Examples section, opening sentence
The Scottish poet William McGonagall (1825-1902) has become famous for his doggerel
In Group: Humorous and Children Verse, Lead paragraph
poetry that is irregular in rhythm and in rhyme, often deliberately for burlesque or comic effect
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