1. Home
  2. Education
  3. Poetry

Limerick

By Bob Holman & Margery Snyder, About.com

Definition:
The limerick, whose name comes from the town in Ireland, is a five-line joke of a poem — witty, usually involving place names and puns, and most often bawdy, sometimes unprintable. A limerick is constructed of anapests, the metrical foot consisting of two unaccented or short syllables followed by one stressed or long syllable: da-da-dum. The first two lines are three anapests, the second two are two anapests, and the last line is three, the whole poem rhymed aabba.

Edward Lear is the best known of limerick writers, and some say he invented the form, but there are many anonymous limericks that date back further than Lear’s time (the 19th century).

Examples:
See our library of limerick links to read examples of the limerick.

Explore Poetry

About.com Special Features

A Smarter Future

Tips that will help finance your education, excel in the classroom, and advance your career. More >

How to Ace the GRE

Being well prepared is the first step; here are more essential suggestions. More >

  1. Home
  2. Education
  3. Poetry
  4. Poetic Forms
  5. Limerick links
  6. Limerick — What is a limerick

©2009 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company.

All rights reserved.