Poetic Terms Dictionary
Sound Device

Rhyme

From Greek rhythmos: measure. End rhyme was not a feature of classical Greek and Latin poetry (which relied on quantity); it developed in Latin hymns and became universal in European vernacular verse.

Definition

The correspondence of sound between the endings of words, particularly at the end of lines, creating sonic pleasure and structural pattern.

Example

'Moon / June'; 'love / dove'; 'breath / death' — end rhymes linking line endings.

Related Terms