Sonnet (en. Sonnet)

/sonɛ/

Meaning & Definition

EnglishFrench

noun

Poem made up of fourteen lines organized into two quatrains and two tercets.

Ronsard's sonnet is an excellent example of classical poetry.

Le sonnet de Ronsard est un excellent exemple de poésie classique.

Highly codified poetic structure, used by many poets.

She wrote a sonnet for her lover, inspired by the poets of the Renaissance.

Elle a écrit un sonnet pour son amoureux, inspiré par les poètes de la Renaissance.

From the old Provençal 'sonet', a diminutive of 'son', signifying a small sound.

fixed-form sonnet

sonnet following a predefined structure

sonnet à la forme fixe

to write a sonnet

to compose a poem in sonnet format

écrire un sonnet

verse

Basic unit of poetry, a line of a poem.

vers

poetry

The art of words, often used to evoke emotions.

poésie

Term used to refer to a somewhat outdated poem.

He wrote a 'sonnet' in the style of a poet from another time.

Il a écrit un 'sonnet' à la manière d'un poète d'un autre temps.

Used to talk about an exaggerated love declaration.

His message resembled a sonnet, too sentimental for my taste.

Son message ressemblait à un sonnet, trop fleur bleue à mon goût.