What does "virelay" mean?
Virelay: An ancient French song, or short poem, wholly in two rhymes, and composed in short lines, with a refrain. Of such matter made he many lays, Songs, complains, roundels, virelayes. Chaucer. To which a lady sung a virelay. Dryden. Note: "The virelay admitted only two rhymes, and, after employing one for some time, the poet was virer, or to turn, to the other." Nares.
Sources
- Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
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- Published: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00 · Modified: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00