couplet

[ kuhp-lit ]

noun

1. a pair of successive lines of verse, especially a pair that rhyme and are of the same length.
2. a pair; couple.
3. Music. any of the contrasting sections of a rondo occurring between statements of the refrain.

couplet

/ ˈkʌplɪt /

noun

1. two successive lines of verse, usually rhymed and of the same metre

couplet

1. A pair of lines of verse that rhyme . Some poems, such as “ The Night Before Christmas ,” are written entirely in couplets:

   `Twas the night before Christmas , when all through the house

   Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;

   The stockings were hung by the chimney with care

   In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there.

Word History and Origins

Origin of couplet¹

From Middle French, dating back to 1570–80; couple, -et

Word History and Origins

Origin of couplet¹

C16: from French, literally: a little pair; see couple

Example Sentences

So fullness of that scene did have to be compressed down to that little couplet.

From Salon

But I think that couplet is really powerful and it did what we wanted it to do.

From Salon

Whether we are talking about 24 hours or a millennium, it is as chilling a rhymed couplet of stated political intent as one could envision.

From Salon

“My heart stopped beating long ago / It pours out like a river,” one couplet goes.

From Los Angeles Times

The show’s straightforward plot trajectory is neatly summed up in a dismal couplet in the lament “Gethsemane,” in which Jesus finally resigns himself to his fate: “Then, I was inspired / Now I’m sad and tired.”

From New York Times

Related Words

• verse