Petrarchan sonnet

American  

noun

1. a sonnet form popularized by Petrarch, consisting of an octave with the rhyme scheme abbaabba and of a sestet with one of several rhyme schemes, as cdecde or cdcdcd.

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Petrarchan sonnet British  

noun

1. Also called: Italian sonnet.  a sonnet form associated with the poet Petrarch, having an octave rhyming a b b a a b b a and a sestet rhyming either c d e c d e or c d c d c d

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Etymology

Origin of Petrarchan sonnet

First recorded in 1905–10

Compare meaning

How does petrarchan-sonnet compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• Petrarchan sonnet vs. Shakespearean sonnet

Example Sentences

An excellent example of the Petrarchan sonnet of this exact type is Austin Dobson's "Don Quixote."

From The Circus, and Other Essays and Fugitive Pieces by Kilmer, Joyce

Where there is beauty such as this, it is an impertinence to insist that Shakspere has not conformed to the special type of beauty represented in the Petrarchan sonnet.

From A Study of Poetry by Perry, Bliss

Of course you will find exceptions to the rules I have stated, you will find poets who have combined the Shakespearean and Petrarchan sonnet.

From The Circus, and Other Essays and Fugitive Pieces by Kilmer, Joyce

The most usual way of doing this is to end the Petrarchan sonnet with the couplet typical of the Shakespearean form, as in Blanco White's "Night."

From The Circus, and Other Essays and Fugitive Pieces by Kilmer, Joyce

The form generally used by poets writing in English is what is called the Petrarchan sonnet.

From The Circus, and Other Essays and Fugitive Pieces by Kilmer, Joyce