I. ˈ ̷ ̷ˌ ̷ ̷ noun
Etymology: sing (I) + song
1.
a. : a verse selection with marked and regular rhythm and rhyme : a jingling song or ballad
b. : verse of such characteristics
the singsong of the epic, its repetitious phrases and familiar story — College English
2. chiefly Britain : sing 1a
food, refreshments, entertainment, and a singsong combined to make it a highly enjoyable evening — Crowsnest
3. : a voice delivery characterized by a narrow range of pitch or a mechanically repetitious pitch variation
began in the singsong of a professional guide — Donn Byrne
the singsong of … campaign oratory — Max Ascoli
the auctioneer with his rapid singsong — American Guide Series: Tenn
speaking English in a Welsh singsong — John Barkham
II. adjective
1. : making or delivering singsong
is known as a singsong poet
2. : characterized by the light or trivial usually monotonously expressed
writes singsong verse
cases of long-windedness, foggy meanings, clichés, and singsong phrases — Stuart Chase
3. : having a monotonous cadence or rhythm : marked by a singsong
story in a deliberately rhythmical, singsong prose — New Yorker
cultivated a singsong manner of speaking — Thomas Pyles
the singsong orchestration from a loud radio sawed the air — Kathryn Grondahl
III. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
transitive verb
1. : to move by or as if by means of a singsong or chant
watched coolies singsong a dismantled truck up the cliff — Time
2. : to speak, chant, or declaim in singsong
the class singsonging the number tables
singsonged her way through Shakespeare with a … native-born inflection — Joan Comay
intransitive verb
: to speak, chant, or sing in a singsong manner
droning on and on, his voice singsonging almost unrecognizably — Norman Mailer
vendors singsonged up and down the platform — Jobo Nakamura