rondel

American  

[ron-dl, ron-del] / ˈrɒn dl, rɒnˈdɛl /

noun

1. Prosody. a short poem of fixed form, consisting usually of 14 lines on two rhymes, of which four are made up of the initial couplet repeated in the middle and at the end, with the second line of the couplet sometimes being omitted at the end.

2. Theater. roundel.

---

rondel British  

/ ˈrɒndəl /

noun

1. a rondeau consisting of three stanzas of 13 or 14 lines with a two-line refrain appearing twice or three times

2. a figure in Scottish country dancing by means of which couples change position in the set

---

Etymology

Origin of rondel

1250–1300; Middle English < Old French rondel, diminutive of rond round ¹

Example Sentences

As the Armorer gifts him with a new chest-plate, she says, “You will grow into this rondel as you grow into your station.”

From New York Times • Mar. 22, 2023

The beam moved to the first black disk, a rondel of engineered carbon now more than a decade old.

From New York Times • Nov. 11, 2019

The moon-and-falcon rondel over Ser Vardis's right arm was sheared clean in half, hanging by its strap.

From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin

It had certainly been irritating to be interrupted in the middle of that rondel for the sake of which she had skipped Sunday breakfast.

From Beatrice Leigh at College A Story for Girls by Schwartz, Julia Augusta

Chief among these are the difficult but exquisite rondel, "Now welcom Somer with thy sonne softe," which closes the "Parliament of Fowls," and the ballad, "Flee fro the prees," which has been already quoted.

From English Literature Its History and Its Significance for the Life of the English Speaking World by Long, William Joseph