couplet

American  

[kuhp-lit] / ˈkʌp lɪt /

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.

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couplet British  

/ ˈkʌplɪt /

noun

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

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couplet Cultural  

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.

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Etymology

Origin of couplet

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

Example Sentences

The lyrics, which are serviceable but unremarkable—“Oh, I need you, yes, it’s true / I wouldn’t be anywhere without you” is a representative couplet—don’t offset the sleepiness.

From The Wall Street Journal

A centuries-old Persian couplet often repeated in Indian-administered Kashmir translates to: "If there is a paradise on earth, it is here, it is here, it is here."

From BBC

Austria has the best opening couplet of the year: "I'm an ocean of love / And you're scared of water."

From BBC

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

From Salon

There are, in fact, some rather disturbing rhymed couplets, if you will.

From Salon

Related Words

• verse