cheville: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
Rare/LowFormal/Literary
Quick answer
What does “cheville” mean?
A word or phrase inserted into a line of verse to complete the meter or achieve a rhyme, but which adds little to the meaning.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
A word or phrase inserted into a line of verse to complete the meter or achieve a rhyme, but which adds little to the meaning.
Any superfluous element added to fill a gap, smooth over a transition, or pad out content without substantial contribution. In music, historically, a peg or pin on a stringed instrument (from the French term).
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Usage is identical but extremely rare in both varieties, confined to specialist literary or poetic discourse.
Connotations
Consistently pejorative in both UK and US contexts.
Frequency
Virtually unused in everyday language. Slightly more likely to be encountered in UK academic writing on poetry due to stronger tradition of metre-based analysis.
Grammar
How to Use “cheville” in a Sentence
[verb] + cheville: 'use/insert/avoid a cheville'[adjective] + cheville: 'glaring/awkward/obvious cheville'cheville + [prepositional phrase]: 'cheville in the line/verse/poem'Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “cheville” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- The amateur poet was accused of cheville-ing his sonnets with meaningless interjections.
American English
- He tends to cheville his lyrics when he can't find the right phrase.
adverb
British English
- The stanza was chevilly constructed, reliant on fillers.
American English
- The verse flowed chevilly, interrupted by obvious padding.
adjective
British English
- The line's cheville nature was apparent to every critic.
American English
- It was a cheville phrase, added solely for rhythmic completion.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Not used.
Academic
Used in literary criticism and prosody to critique verse craftsmanship.
Everyday
Not used.
Technical
Specialist term in poetry analysis and, historically, luthiery (instrument making).
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “cheville”
- Mispronouncing as /ˈtʃɛvɪl/ (like 'chevron').
- Using it to refer to any unimportant word outside the context of metre/rhyme.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, it is a rare and specialized term used almost exclusively in the analysis of poetry and verse.
Almost never. It is inherently pejorative, describing a weak or unnecessary element that damages the artistic quality of the work.
Primarily, yes. Its core meaning is metrical. By extension, it can be used metaphorically in other arts (e.g., music, speechwriting) for any filler, but this is very rare.
It comes from French, where 'cheville' means 'peg' or 'ankle'. The poetic sense derives from the idea of a peg used to plug a hole or fasten something inadequately.
A word or phrase inserted into a line of verse to complete the meter or achieve a rhyme, but which adds little to the meaning.
Cheville is usually formal/literary in register.
Cheville: in British English it is pronounced /ʃəˈviːl/, and in American English it is pronounced /ʃəˈvil/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “None specific to this word.”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a poet desperately trying to CHEAT-VILLE (cheville) by filling a line with meaningless words to make the metre work.
Conceptual Metaphor
LANGUAGE/ART IS A STRUCTURE (where a cheville is a shoddy, non-load-bearing part).
Practice
Quiz
In which field is the term 'cheville' primarily used?