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couplet definition

cou·plet (kup′lit)

noun

  1. two successive lines of poetry, esp. two of the same length that rhyme
  2. Rare a couple; pair

Etymology: Fr, dim. of couple, couple

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

couplet Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • rhyme: The 172 lines that follow are written in rhyming couplets in the style of the popular ballads common to the period.

Adjective modifier

  • heroic: Alexander Pope, in the 18th century perfected a form of heroic couplet.

Preposition: on

  • theme: Six couplets on the theme: Welsh History 16.

Modifies a noun

  • form: In a work that takes as its theme the issue of artistic identity and exile, the couplet form suggests a drive toward cohesion.

Preposition: in

  • style: The 172 lines that follow are written in rhyming couplets in the style of the popular ballads common to the period.

Noun used with modifier

  • pentameter: The poem is in the form of rhyming pentameter couplets, sometimes called heroic couplets, the favorite poetic form of the eighteenth century.
couplet usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

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"couplet." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 5 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/couplet>

APA Style

couplet. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 5th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/couplet

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