macaronic verse
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
Verses in which foreign words are ludicrously distorted and jumbled together, as m Person's lines on the threatened invasion of England by Napoleon or J. A.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “macaronic verse” mean?
Verses in which foreign words are ludicrously distorted and jumbled together, as m Person's lines on the threatened invasion of England by Napoleon or J. A.
Is “macaronic verse” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.