Spenserian sonnet

noun

A sonnet comprising three quatrains with the latter rhyme part being carried over from one quatrain to the next, and a concluding couplet, therefore comprising a rhyme scheme of abab bcbc cdcd ee.

Similar
Scottish sonnet
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Meanings

nounSpenserian sonnet (plural Spenserian sonnets)

plural Spenserian sonnets

  1. communicationsA sonnet comprising three quatrains with the latter rhyme part being carried over from one quatrain to the next, and a concluding couplet, therefore comprising a rhyme scheme of abab bcbc cdcd ee.

    Synonyms: Scottish sonnet

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA sonnet comprising three quatrains with the latter rhyme part being carried over from one quatrain to the next, and a concluding couplet, therefore comprising a rhyme scheme of abab bcbc cdcd ee.

Similar
Scottish sonnet
Also see
scottish sonnet

Origin

Named after English poet Edmund Spenser (1552/1553–1599) and associated with his authorship.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

Spenserian sonnet. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Spenserian%20sonnet

MLA

“Spenserian sonnet.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Spenserian%20sonnet. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Spenserian sonnet,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Spenserian%20sonnet.

Source: Spenserian sonnet on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.