sestet

[ se-stet, ses-tet ]

/ sɛˈstɛt, ˈsɛs tɛt /

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noun

Prosody. the last six lines of a sonnet in the Italian form, considered as a unit.Compare octave (def. 4a).

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Origin of sestet

1795–1805; <Italian sestettosextet, equivalent to sest(o) (<Latin sextussixth) + -etto-et

Words nearby sestet

session musician, Sessions, sesterce, sestertium, sestertius, sestet, sestina, Sestos, Sesto San Giovanni, set, seta

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

How to use sestet in a sentence

The rhymes of the first two quatrains are usually the same; those of the sestet are variously arranged.
Elementary Guide to Literary Criticism|F. V. N. Painter
It is divided into two parts: the first consisting of an octave or double quatrain, and the other of a sestet.
Elementary Guide to Literary Criticism|F. V. N. Painter
It consists of six double stanzas, of fourteen lines or two septets each, finished by a sestet, aabaab.
The Flourishing of Romance and the Rise of Allegory|George Saintsbury
The sestet may be taken as an excellent example of the manner in which Mozart turned his means of representation to account.
Life Of Mozart, Vol. 3 (of 3)|Otto Jahn

The moderated tone of the piece is of very good effect after the ponderous length of the sestet.
Life Of Mozart, Vol. 3 (of 3)|Otto Jahn

British Dictionary definitions for sestet

sestet

/ (sɛˈstɛt) /

noun

prosody the last six lines of a Petrarchan sonnet

prosody any six-line stanza

another word for sextet (def. 1)

Word Origin for sestet

C19: from Italian sestetto, from sesto sixth, from Latin sextus, from sex six

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