roundelay
noun
roun·de·lay ˈrau̇n-də-ˌlā 
1
: a simple song with a refrain
2
: a poem with a refrain recurring frequently or at fixed intervals as in a rondel
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web The other two notable participants in the nearly farcical roundelay of romances are Count Carl-Magnus Malcolm (Cooper Grodin) and his wife, Charlotte (Sierra Boggess). 
Charles Isherwood, WSJ, 18 Aug. 2022 Kusijanović, making her feature directing debut, plots the family’s dynamic through a roundelay of gazes and with near-geometric precision. Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 15 July 2022 Still, this loose-limbed romantic roundelay — gorgeously filmed in black and white by the French director Jacques Audiard — glows with a spirit of playful, limitless possibility. Justin Changfilm Critic, Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2022 The house had a feeling of being offstage, at least compared with the comic roundelay of Turtle Bay. D. T. Max, The New Yorker, 14 Feb. 2022 The story itself is pure Western pulp, a dime-store roundelay of banditos, lost dreams, and femme fatales. Leah Greenblatt, EW.com, 17 Sep. 2021 What followed was a frustrating roundelay in which Chime directed Robertson to the IRS, and the IRS directed her to Chime. Carson Kessler, ProPublica, 6 July 2021 Gertrude Stein’s roundelay-like syntax and logic feel very present here. Hilton Als, The New Yorker, 5 Apr. 2021 The roundelay in which Nadia is trapped is an allegory for the compulsions and diminishing returns of addiction, the sense that death is overtaking life. The New York Review of Books, 25 Apr. 2019 See More
Charles Isherwood, WSJ, 18 Aug. 2022 Kusijanović, making her feature directing debut, plots the family’s dynamic through a roundelay of gazes and with near-geometric precision. Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 15 July 2022 Still, this loose-limbed romantic roundelay — gorgeously filmed in black and white by the French director Jacques Audiard — glows with a spirit of playful, limitless possibility. Justin Changfilm Critic, Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2022 The house had a feeling of being offstage, at least compared with the comic roundelay of Turtle Bay. D. T. Max, The New Yorker, 14 Feb. 2022 The story itself is pure Western pulp, a dime-store roundelay of banditos, lost dreams, and femme fatales. Leah Greenblatt, EW.com, 17 Sep. 2021 What followed was a frustrating roundelay in which Chime directed Robertson to the IRS, and the IRS directed her to Chime. Carson Kessler, ProPublica, 6 July 2021 Gertrude Stein’s roundelay-like syntax and logic feel very present here. Hilton Als, The New Yorker, 5 Apr. 2021 The roundelay in which Nadia is trapped is an allegory for the compulsions and diminishing returns of addiction, the sense that death is overtaking life. The New York Review of Books, 25 Apr. 2019 See More Word History
Etymology
Middle English, modification of Middle French rondelet, diminutive of rondel
First Known Use
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
roundelays
noun
as in folk songs
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- folk songs
- art songs
- standards
- barcaroles
- discants
- blues
- pops
- barcarolles
- chansons
- rockers
- glees
- rounds
- chants
- ballads
- motets
- serenades
- lullabies
- madrigals
- choruses
- arias
- chanteys
- solos
- croons
- shanties
- vocals
- threnodies
- part-songs
- lays
- descants
- drinking songs
- lyrics
- ditties
- psalms
- chanties
- anthems
- songs
- jingles
- hymns
- fight songs
- requiems
- spirituals
- carols
- arie
- noels
- cantatas
- torch songs
- dirges
- chorales
- canticles
- hallelujahs
- laments
- paeans
- remixes
- medleys
- covers