adj · 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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Received-Pronunciation:/ˈɹʌnsɪb(ə)l/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
General-American:/ˈɹʌnsəbəl/
1
adj
Meaning 1
A nonce word used for humorous effect.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: humorous, not-comparable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
History
Etymology
A nonce word coined by the English artist and poet Edward Lear (1812–1888) in his poem The Owl and the Pussy-cat (published 1870). It has been suggested that the word was modelled after rounceval, rouncival (“a large pea, the marrowfat”) (late 16th c.).