Phrase guide

pillow word

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

In Japanese waka poetry, a poetic device where a certain introductory phrase is commonly used to allude to something else.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Calque of Japanese 枕詞 (makurakotoba).

Across languages

Translations

7 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 枕詞 /枕词 (zhěncí) — poetic device
  • French: makurakotoba — poetic device
  • French: mot-oreiller — poetic device
  • French: épithète — poetic device
  • Italian: makura kotoba — poetic device
  • Japanese: 枕詞 (makurakotoba) — poetic device
  • Korean: 마쿠라코토바 (makurakotoba) — poetic device