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soneto

sonnet

noun soh-NEH-toh Rare

Origin: From Italian sonetto ('little sound')

Usage Note

Soneto denotes the 14-line poetic form divided into two cuartetos (quatrains) and two tercetos (tercets), typically in endecasílabo (11-syllable) verse. Spain's Golden Age produced masterful sonnets by Garcilaso de la Vega, Góngora, and Quevedo, cementing the form at the heart of the Spanish literary canon. The word arrived via Italian sonetto in the 16th century Renaissance; the Italian etymology ('little sound' from suono) reflects the lyric, musical origins of the form.

Examples

"Leyó un soneto de Lope de Vega en clase."

Natural Translation

He read a sonnet by Lope de Vega in class.

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