Gereimt

Gereimt is the past participle of the German verb reimen, meaning to rhyme. As an adjective, gereimt denotes text that uses rhymes, i.e., that the endings of lines or phrases share similar sounds. In everyday use one can say, for example, “Dieses Gedicht ist gereimt.”

Usage and scope: Gereimt appears mainly in poetry, song lyrics, nursery rhymes, and other forms of creative writing where rhythm and mnemonic effect are desired. It can also occur in advertising or speeches when a rhyming cadence is intended. The term does not specify a particular type of rhyme but signals the presence of a rhyming pattern.

Forms and patterns: Rhymes can occur at line endings (Endreim), within lines (Binnenreim), or in more complex schemes such as Paarreim (couplets), Kreuzreim (ABAB), or umarmender Reim (ABBA). A text described as gereimt may exhibit one or several schemes, and rhyme can be perfect or near (slant) rhyme. The label focuses on the existence of rhyme rather than on a single technical categorization.

Historical and stylistic notes: The use of rhyme is longstanding in German-language literature, from medieval Minnesang and ballads to contemporary lyrics. In scholarly and critical contexts, gereimt is often contrasted with ungereimt or freier Reim when analyzing a text’s formal constraints or musical qualities. See also Reim, Reimschema, Endreim, Binnenreim, Kinderreim.