a verse form of Italian origin consisting of a series of tercets in which the middle line of one tercet rhymes with the first and third lines of the next
Word origin
C19: from Italian, literally: third rhyme
terza rima in American English
(ˌtɛrtsə ˈrimə)
a verse form of Italian origin, made up of tercets, the second line of each tercet rhyming with the first and third lines of the next one (aba, bcb, cdc, etc.)
Word origin
It, lit., third rhyme < L tertia, third + Fr rime: see rhyme