amphigory

1 9.9

A short piece of writing, often a poem, that is silly and has no real meaning

noun
/ˈæmfɪˌɡɔri/

Literature

: amfigoría

You know, maybe next week, if you'd like, we could drive out to watch that intellectual comedian parade his amphigories for us.

Examples

The poet's latest book is filled with amphigories that made the audience laugh and scratch their heads.
''Amphigories''?

Anything Else (2003)
The speech was entertaining but full of amphigories that left listeners confused about the main point.
Even though the children enjoyed the amphigories, I found it hard to see the meaning behind the silly rhymes.

Synonyms

nonsense

vsamphigory

578 2.5

Words or ideas that do not make sense

is specifically a written work, often verse, rather than any speech or text

abracadabra

vsamphigory

1 9.3

Meaningless words or writing that confuse people

is a whole written piece, usually longer than a single word or phrase

nonsense verse

vsamphigory

Literature

7.0

Short funny poems that use silly words and strange ideas

is any short piece of writing that is nonsense rather than just playful

abstract nonsense

vsamphigory

Slang

9.9

Unclear, complicated ideas that are hard to understand and not practical

is simple nonsense in verse, not technical or theoretical jargon

Antonyms

sense

∞ 4.1

A particular meaning of a word or expression

clarity

152 3.0

How easy it is to understand what someone says or writes

How Nonsensical

amphigory

Literature

1 9.9

gibberish

45 7.2

nonsense

578 2.5

strangeness

12 5.5

sense

∞ 4.1

Surface Forms

amphigory singular

amphigories plural

Etymology

The word amphigory comes from the French amphigouri and probably from Greek parts amphi- meaning 'around', seen in amphibian and amphitheatre, and -gory meaning 'speech' or 'talk'. So an amphigory is like 'mixed-up talk' or nonsense writing, which is why the word now means a playful or meaningless piece of writing.