tercet

[ tur-sit, tur-set ]
/ ˈtɜr sɪt, tɜrˈsɛt /

noun

Prosody. a group of three lines rhyming together or connected by rhyme with the adjacent group or groups of three lines.
Music. triplet(def 5).

Origin of tercet

1590–1600; < French < Italian terzetto, diminutive of terzo third < Latin tertius. See -et

Example sentences from the Web for tercet

  • When there are two verses the stanza is called a couplet; a three line stanza is called a tercet; a four line stanza, a quatrain.

    Journeys Through Bookland, Vol. 10 |Charles Herbert Sylvester
  • The common form of the sestina has six stanzas of six lines each, with a tercet at the end.

    English Verse |Raymond MacDonald Alden, Ph.D.

British Dictionary definitions for tercet

tercet
/ (ˈtɜːsɪt, tɜːˈsɛt) /

noun

a group of three lines of verse that rhyme together or are connected by rhyme with adjacent groups of three lines

Word Origin for tercet

C16: from French, from Italian terzetto, diminutive of terzo third, from Latin tertius