redondilla

American  

[re-dawn-dee-lyah] / ˌrɛ dɔnˈdi lyɑ /

noun

Prosody.

1. a Spanish verse form in which each stanza consists of four lines, each with eight syllables, and a rhyme scheme abba.

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Etymology

Origin of redondilla

1830–40; < Spanish, equivalent to redond ( o ) round (< Latin rotundus ) + -illa diminutive suffix

Explanation

Redondilla, four-line poem with
eight neat syllables for each line
I have done my best, here is mine
will you show me yours now, wordsmith? The syllable count for a redondilla can vary, sometimes being four or six beats per line instead of eight. A redondilla is often written so that the first beat of each line is stressed, and the next unstressed, with that pattern repeating across the whole line. This type of pattern is called trochaic meter. Often, the first and the last lines rhyme with each other, and the middle two rhyme with each other. Its name means "little round."

Example Sentences

Conde has given a translation of certain Spanish-Arabian poems, in the measure of the original, from which it is evident, that the hemistich of an Arabian verse corresponds perfectly with the redondilla.

From The History of the Reign of Ferdinand and Isabella the Catholic — Volume 2 by Prescott, William Hickling