rhyme royal

noun

, Prosody.

1. a form of verse introduced into English by Chaucer, consisting of seven-line stanzas of iambic pentameter in which there are three rhymes, the first line rhyming with the third, the second with the fourth and fifth, and the sixth with the seventh.

rhyme royal

noun

1. prosody a stanzaic form introduced into English verse by Chaucer, consisting of seven lines of iambic pentameter rhyming a b a b b c c

Word History and Origins

Origin of rhyme royal¹

First recorded in 1835–45

Example Sentences

For, first, it stimulated curiosity regarding the use by this poet of the Chaucerian rhyme-royal in three of these long poems.

From Project Gutenberg

At a later period this was frequently called "rhyme royal," because the 'Kingis Quair' was written in it.

From Project Gutenberg