tercet Definition
a group of three lines in a poem, especially one with a rhyme scheme in which the first and third lines rhyme with each other and the second line rhymes with another line in the poem..
Using tercet: Examples
Take a moment to familiarize yourself with how "tercet" can be used in various situations through the following examples!
Example
The poem consists of several tercets.
Example
The rhyme scheme of the poem is ABA BCB CDC DED EE, where each letter represents a tercet.
tercet Synonyms and Antonyms
Phrases with tercet
terza rima
a verse form consisting of tercets in which the second line of each rhymes with the first and third of the next
Example
Dante's Divine Comedy is written in terza rima.
a Japanese poem of seventeen syllables, in three lines of five, seven, and five, traditionally evoking images of the natural world
Example
Haiku is a form of tercet.
a nineteen-line poem with two rhymes throughout, consisting of five tercets and a quatrain, with the first and third lines of the opening tercet recurring alternately at the end of the other tercets and with both repeated at the close of the concluding quatrain
Example
Dylan Thomas's 'Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night' is a villanelle.
Origins of tercet
from Italian 'terzetto', diminutive of 'terzo', meaning 'third'
Summary: tercet in Brief
A 'tercet' [ˈtərsət] is a group of three lines in a poem, often with a specific rhyme scheme. It is commonly used in poetic forms such as terza rima, haiku, and villanelle. An example of its usage is 'The poem consists of several tercets.'
