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Definitions

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

  1. n. A Japanese lyric verse form having three unrhymed lines of five, seven, and five syllables, traditionally invoking an aspect of nature or the seasons.
  2. n. A poem written in this form.

Wiktionary

  1. n. A Japanese poem of a specific form, consisting of three lines, the first and last consisting of five morae, and the second consisting of seven morae, usually with an emphasis on the season or a naturalistic theme.
  2. n. A three-line poem in any language, with five syllables in the first and last lines and seven syllables in the second, usually with an emphasis on the season or a naturalistic theme.
  3. n. Plural form of haiku.

WordNet 3.0

  1. n. an epigrammatic Japanese verse form of three short lines

Etymologies

  1. Japanese : hai, amusement (from Middle Chinese bəij, pha·j) + ku, sentence (from Middle Chinese kuəh).

Examples

Lists

These user-created lists contain the word ‘haiku’.

Comments

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  • bilby
    There was an old man
    From Peru, whose lim'ricks all
    Look'd like haiku. He

    Said with a laugh "I
    Cut them in half, the pay is
    Much better for two."

    - anon. Sep 27, 2009

  • bilby Brava. Jun 23, 2009

  • super-thegirlnextfloor In the 7th grade, we did haiku poems in class one day and I can still remember exactly what I wrote:

    "One crystal tear falls
    Followed by warm summer's mist
    Sunshine dries my hate" Jun 23, 2009

  • tbtabby Clowns are raining down.
    Hear the scream of the grease paint!
    Danger! Clown puddles. Mar 8, 2009

  • uselessness Especially if
    You're unusually fond
    Of steroidal dimes. Jan 24, 2008

  • asativum You might be surprised
    How well life can be condensed
    Into a haiku.
    Jan 24, 2008

  • oroboros Ukiah in reverse. Jul 22, 2007

  • oroboros Ah, sweet sunset glow
    Softly, softly fading low
    But oh! the bright moon Dec 23, 2006

‘haiku’ has been looked up 2427 times, loved by 7 people, added to 44 lists, commented on 9 times, and has a Scrabble score of 12.