Word
sonnet
Phoneticsson·net
US/ˈsɑnɪt/
UK/sˈɒnɪt/
Definition
n. a short poem with exactly fourteen lines. It usually follows a specific pattern of rhymes and rhythm, often used to talk about love or deep feelings.
n. a poem consisting of fourteen lines, typically written in iambic pentameter and following a specific rhyme scheme. It is a traditional form in English and Italian poetry, often used to explore themes of love and mortality.
Examples
“He wrote a beautiful sonnet about his new love.”
“The poet spent weeks perfecting the final sonnet before submitting it to the local literary magazine.”
“While the sonnet originated in Italy, the English form developed a unique structure that allowed for a volta, or a sudden shift in tone or argument, in the final couplet.”
Examples
simple
“He wrote a beautiful sonnet about his new love.”
contextual
“The poet spent weeks perfecting the final sonnet before submitting it to the local literary magazine.”
complex
“While the sonnet originated in Italy, the English form developed a unique structure that allowed for a volta, or a sudden shift in tone or argument, in the final couplet.”
Etymology
Borrowed from Middle French sonnet, from Italian sonetto, from Old Occitan sonet (“a song”), diminutive of son (“song, sound”), from Latin sonus (“sound”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/sonnet