Roundle

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A small round disc, figure or emblem, often used as a decorative motif ; a brief poem built on a repeated refrain and a fixed pattern of lines
2. A little circular plate or design, such as a heraldic badge ; a compact verse form that returns to a repeated line
3. A tiny circle-shaped ornament or marking ; a short lyric poem in which a refrain recurs at set points

Etymology: "Roundle" is an archaic spelling of "roundel," and the two words share a single history. Middle English had "roundel," "rundel," and "rondel," all borrowed from Old French "rondel," meaning something round and flat. That French word is a diminutive of "rond," meaning "round," so the original sense was simply "a little round thing." The word's shape came from the French suffix that makes something smaller, and its root is the same "round" that English uses today. Over the centuries, "roundel" settled on the modern sense of a small disc or circular ornament, while the spelling "roundle" faded out of use.

Synonyms: roundel, circle, disc