Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

rondeau

American  
[ron-doh, ron-doh] / ˈrɒn doʊ, rɒnˈdoʊ /

noun

plural

rondeaux
  1. Prosody. a short poem of fixed form, consisting of 13 or 10 lines on two rhymes and having the opening words or phrase used in two places as an unrhymed refrain.

  2. a 13th-century monophonic song form consisting of two phrases, each repeated several times, and occurring in the 14th and 15th centuries in polyphonic settings.

  3. a 17th-century musical form consisting of a refrain alternating with contrasting couplets, developing in the 18th century into the sonata-rondo form.


rondeau British  
/ ˈrɒndəʊ /

noun

  1. a poem consisting of 13 or 10 lines with two rhymes and having the opening words of the first line used as an unrhymed refrain See also roundel

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of rondeau

1515–25; < Middle French: little circle; see rondel

Vocabulary lists containing rondeau

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

In a large skillet or rondeau, heat olive oil until hot.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 28, 2023

And he has also put his stamp on some shapes like a wide, two-handled rondeau and a saucier, new to Hestan’s inventory.

From New York Times • Jan. 10, 2022

My grandpa would listen to bob rondeau through his headphones.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 26, 2020

But isn't that permissiveness exactly what makes America work: this messy mix, this barbaric yawp, this redneck rondeau, this rude commingling?

From Time • Jan. 28, 2014

I play the rondeau again, and I am Amelia, fifth-grade trombonist, harmony to Madge’s melody, a mouse with a megaphone, shouting, I AM HERE!

From "Muffled" by Jennifer Gennari