A haiku is a short poem consisting of words with a total of seventeen syllables, arranged on three lines.
haiku in British English
(ˈhaɪkuː) or hokku
nounWord forms: plural-ku
an epigrammatic Japanese verse form in 17 syllables
Word origin
from Japanese, from hai amusement + ku verse
haiku in American English
(ˈhaɪˌku)
noun
1.
a Japanese verse form, rendered in English as three unrhymed lines of 5, 7, and 5 syllables respectively (total 17 syllables), often on some subject in nature
2. Word forms: pluralˈhaiˌku
a poem in this form
Word origin
Jpn
Examples of 'haiku' in a sentence
haiku
He said that it was a revelatory moment that called out for a haiku.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Everybody speaking in this kind of haiku gives writers a new structure to play with.