"Discover the language of poetry, from alliteration to zeugma."
Showing 273 poetry terms
| Term | Definition | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Rhetorical Question | A question asked in order to create a dramatic effect or to make a point rather than to get an answer. | "Isn't it a bit late to be doing that now?" |
| Rhyme | Correspondence of sound between words or the endings of words, especially when these are used at the ends of lines of poetry. | Twinkle, twinkle, little star, / How I wonder what you are. |
| Rondeau | A lyrical poem of French origin, typically 13 lines long with two rhymes and a refrain. | The rondeau was a popular form in medieval French poetry. |
| Rondel | A fixed verse form of 13 lines with only two rhymes and specific repetition patterns. | Charles d'Orléans wrote many rondels during his imprisonment. |
| Sapphic Stanza | A four-line stanza form named after the Greek poet Sappho, with a specific pattern of long and short syllables in classical meter. | Sappho's fragments often follow this distinctive metrical pattern. |
| Scansion | The action of scanning a line of verse to determine its rhythm. | A teacher might ask students to perform scansion on a sonnet to identify its meter. |
| Sestet | A six-line stanza or the last six lines of a Petrarchan sonnet. | "When I have fears that I may cease to be Before my pen has gleaned my teeming brain." |
| Sestina | A complex poetic form consisting of six stanzas of six lines each, followed by a tercet. The end words of the first stanza are repeated in a specific pattern throughout the poem. | Elizabeth Bishop's "Sestina" is a famous example of this intricate form. |
| Sibilance | The repetition of sibilant (hissing) sounds, typically 's' and 'sh' sounds. | "The snake slithered silently" demonstrates sibilance. |
| Simile | A figure of speech involving the comparison of one thing with another thing of a different kind, used to make a description more emphatic or vivid. | As brave as a lion. |
Our comprehensive Poetry Glossary, designed for students, teachers, and poetry enthusiasts alike. Whether you're delving into poetic forms, exploring rhyme schemes, or understanding the nuances of metrical feet, our glossary is an essential resource to enhance your study of poetry.
Our glossary covers a wide range of poetry terms, from alliteration, the repetition of initial consonant sounds, to the structure of free verse, which flows without a fixed metrical pattern. Learn about how stressed and unstressed syllables form the foundation of metrical feet, or explore how a rhyme scheme organizes the pattern of sounds at the end of lines in a poem.
Use the search function to quickly find terms like group of lines in a stanza or the repetition of sounds in a poem or section. Whether you're looking to understand how a series of words creates rhythmic patterns or how the number of syllables affects the flow of a line of poetry, our glossary has the definitions and examples you need.
Finding terms is easy:
Tip: Try searching for "rhyme," "meter," or "sonnet" to get started!
Every entry includes three key parts:
Iambic Pentameter: A rhythm pattern of 10 syllables per line, alternating unstressed-stressed.
Example: "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" (Shakespeare)
Note: Most common meter in English sonnets.
Our examples help you see poetry terms in action:
Our glossary covers all major areas of poetry:
Rhyme schemes, meter, alliteration, assonance
Metaphor, simile, personification, symbolism
Sonnets, haikus, villanelles, free verse
Stanzas, lines, caesura, enjambment
Sonnets are one of poetry's most beloved forms. Here's how to explore them:
Structure: 3 quatrains + 1 couplet
Rhyme: ABAB CDCD EFEF GG
Famous: "Shall I compare thee..."
Structure: 1 octave + 1 sestet
Rhyme: ABBAABBA CDECDE
Origin: Italian tradition
• Click "S" in the alphabetical menu
• Search "sonnet" to see all types
• Look for related terms like "quatrain" and "couplet"