terza rima
[ tert-suh ree-muh; Italian ter-tsah ree-mah ]
/ ˈtɛrt sə ˈri mə; Italian ˈtɛr tsɑ ˈri mɑ /
noun Prosody.
an Italian form of iambic verse consisting of eleven-syllable lines arranged in tercets, the middle line of each tercet rhyming with the first and last lines of the following tercet.
Origin of terza rima
1810–20; < Italian: third rhyme
Words nearby terza rima
tertium quid,
tertullian,
teruel,
tervalent,
terylene,
terza rima,
terzetto,
tes,
teschenite,
tesl,
tesla
Example sentences from the Web for terza rima
Certain other varieties of the terza-rima, although found in recent poets, need only be briefly noticed here.
A History of English Versification |Jakob SchipperThe rhyme-system of the terza-rima is a b a b c b c d c, &c.
A History of English Versification |Jakob Schipper
British Dictionary definitions for terza rima
terza rima
/ (ˈtɛətsə ˈriːmə) /
noun plural terze rime (ˈtɛətseɪ ˈriːmeɪ)
a verse form of Italian origin consisting of a series of tercets in which the middle line of one tercet rhymes with the first and third lines of the next
Word Origin for terza rima
C19: from Italian, literally: third rhyme