tercet

[ tur-sit, tur-set ]

noun

1. Prosody. a group of three lines rhyming together or connected by rhyme with the adjacent group or groups of three lines.
2. Music. triplet ( def 5 ).

tercet

/ tɜːˈsɛt; ˈtɜːsɪt /

noun

1. a group of three lines of verse that rhyme together or are connected by rhyme with adjacent groups of three lines

Word History and Origins

Origin of tercet¹

1590–1600; < French < Italian terzetto, diminutive of terzo third < Latin tertius. See -et

Word History and Origins

Origin of tercet¹

C16: from French, from Italian terzetto, diminutive of terzo third, from Latin tertius

Example Sentences

The common form of the sestina has six stanzas of six lines each, with a tercet at the end.

From Project Gutenberg

When there are two verses the stanza is called a couplet; a three line stanza is called a tercet; a four line stanza, a quatrain.

From Project Gutenberg