ottava rima
/ɒˌtɑːvə ˈriːmə
/noun [mass noun]
A form of poetry consisting of stanzas of eight lines of ten or eleven syllables, rhyming abababcc: I wrote the answer in ottava rima...
- In the fifth assignment we finally stared metre directly in the face: the assignment was to write a sonnet, terza rima or ottava rima, in iambic pentameter.
- Shelley composed this playful work of 78 stanzas in ottava rima within the space of three days.
- The portrait also contains sheets of simulated verse to emphasize that he specialized in terza rima and ottava rima.
Origin
Late 18th century: from Italian, literally 'eighth rhyme'.