Petrarchan sonnet
noun
a sonnet form popularized by Petrarch, consisting of an octave with the rhyme scheme abbaabba and of a sestet with one of several rhyme schemes, as cdecde or cdcdcd.
Also called
Italian sonnet.
Origin of Petrarchan sonnet
First recorded in 1905–10
British Dictionary definitions for petrarchan sonnet
Petrarchan sonnet
noun
a sonnet form associated with the poet Petrarch, having an octave rhyming a b b a a b b a and a sestet rhyming either c d e c d e or c d c d c d
Also called: Italian sonnet