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flyting

noun
flyt·​ing | \ ˈflÄ«-tiÅ‹ How to pronounce flyting (audio) \

Definition of flyting

: a dispute or exchange of personal abuse in verse form

Did You Know?

Flyting in 15th- and 16th-century Scotland is analogous to a modern-day rap competition during which rappers improvise clever disses and put-downs against their opponents. Similarly, the makars (a Scottish word for "poets") engaged in verbal duels in which they voiced extravagant invectives in verse against their rivals. The base of flyting is the ancient verb flyte (also spelled flite), meaning "to contend" or "to quarrel."

First Known Use of flyting

1508, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for flyting

Scots, literally, contention, gerund of flyte to contend, argue, from Middle English fliten, from Old English flītan; akin to Old High German flīzan to argue

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More from Merriam-Webster on flyting

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with flyting

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about flyting

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