Meanings
Origin
From how Victorian and Edwardian parents used to tell such rhymes to their children in the nursery, i.e. the children's bedroom.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic أُسْجُوعَةُ أَطْفَال
- أُسْجُوعَةُ أَطْفَال (ʔusjūʕatu ʔaṭfāl)short poem or song for children
Chinese Mandarin 兒歌 /儿歌, 童謠 /童谣
- 兒歌 /儿歌 (érgē)short poem or song for children
- 童謠 /童谣 (tóngyáo)short poem or song for children
Czech říkanka, říkadlo
- říkankashort poem or song for children
- říkadloshort poem or song for children
Dutch wiegelied, bakerrijm
- wiegeliedshort poem or song for children
- bakerrijmshort poem or song for children
Estonian salmike
- salmikeshort poem or song for children
Finnish lastenloru, loru
- lastenlorushort poem or song for children
- lorushort poem or song for children
- lastenlaulushort poem or song for children
French comptine, chanson enfantine
- comptineshort poem or song for children
- chanson enfantineshort poem or song for children
German Kinderreim
- Kinderreimshort poem or song for children
Greek δίστιχο
- δίστιχο (dísticho)short poem or song for children
Hungarian mondóka, gyerekdal
- mondókashort poem or song for children
- gyerekdalshort poem or song for children
Icelandic barnagæla, þula
- barnagælashort poem or song for children
- þulashort poem or song for children
Italian filastrocca
- filastroccashort poem or song for children
Japanese 童謡, 童歌
- 童謡 (dōyō)short poem or song for children
- 童歌 (warabeuta)short poem or song for children
Korean 동요, 동가
- 동요 (dong'yo)short poem or song for children
- 동가 (dongga)short poem or song for children
Norwegian Bokmål barnerim, barneregle
- barnerimshort poem or song for children
- barneregleshort poem or song for children
Polish rymowanka
- rymowankashort poem or song for children
Portuguese cantiga de roda
- cantiga de rodashort poem or song for children
Russian де́тский стишо́к, де́тская пе́сенка
- де́тский стишо́к (détskij stišók)short poem or song for children
- де́тская пе́сенка (détskaja pésenka)short poem or song for children
- прибау́тка (pribaútka)short poem or song for children
Swedish barnramsa, barnvisa
- barnramsashort poem or song for children
- barnvisashort poem or song for children
Turkish tekerleme
- tekerlemeshort poem or song for children
Cite this entry
APA
nursery rhyme. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nursery%20rhyme
MLA
“nursery rhyme.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nursery%20rhyme. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “nursery rhyme,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nursery%20rhyme.
Source: nursery rhyme on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.