sonnet

[ son-it ]

noun

1. Prosody. a poem, properly expressive of a single, complete thought, idea, or sentiment, of 14 lines, usually in iambic pentameter, with rhymes arranged according to one of certain definite schemes, being in the strict or Italian form divided into a major group of 8 lines (the octave) followed by a minor group of 6 lines (the sestet), and in a common English form into 3 quatrains followed by a couplet.

verb (used without object)

1. Archaic. to compose sonnets.

verb (used with object)

1. Older Use. to celebrate in a sonnet or sonnets.

sonnet

/ ˈsɒnɪt /

noun

1. a verse form of Italian origin consisting of 14 lines in iambic pentameter with rhymes arranged according to a fixed scheme, usually divided either into octave and sestet or, in the English form, into three quatrains and a couplet

verb

1. intr to compose sonnets
2. tr to celebrate in a sonnet

sonnet

1. A lyric poem of fourteen lines, often about love, that follows one of several strict conventional patterns of rhyme . Elizabeth Barrett Browning , John Keats , and William Shakespeare are poets known for their sonnets.

Other Words From

• sonnet·like adjective
• outsonnet verb (used with object)

Word History and Origins

Origin of sonnet¹

1550–60; < Italian sonnetto < Old Provençal sonet, equivalent to son poem (< Latin sonus sound ¹ ) + -et -et

Word History and Origins

Origin of sonnet¹

C16: via Italian from Old Provençal sonet a little poem, from son song, from Latin sonus a sound

Example Sentences

Set to Richard Ashcroft's 1990s track Sonnet, the ad is a "real tear-jerker" and suggests the retailer wanted to "return to its roots", analysts said.

From BBC

It was a reference to a sonnet by Percy Bysse Shelley: Ozymandias, King of Kings.

From BBC

It was a poetic ending for the man who named his company after a 19th-century sonnet about arrogance, hubris and pride laid low.

From Salon

Carpenter then purposefully make fun of the outrageousness of her desire for her partner, when she busts out a line from what feels like a Shakespearean sonnet, “Where art thou? Why not uponeth me?”

From Salon

Yadav's journey started when his father, a police vehicle siren seller, enrolled him at Delhi's renowned Sonnet Cricket Club.

From BBC

Related Words

• ballad
• composition
• epic
• lyric
• poetry
• rhyme
• verse
• writing