sonnet

sonnet (ENG N, FR N-M) one of the »fixed« forms of poetry, consisting of fourteen lines, each containing five iambs and an interlocking rhyme scheme among lines. The English (Shakespearean) sonnet traditionally has a twelve-line group (douzain) followed by a couplet. The Italian (Petrarchan) version is grouped into eight-line and six-line groups (octets and sestets). The French sonnet is usually a variation of the Italian, with two four-line groups (quatrains) and two three-line groups…