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sestina

noun
ses·​ti·​na | \ se-ˈstē-nə How to pronounce sestina (audio) \

Definition of sestina

: a lyrical fixed form consisting of six 6-line usually unrhymed stanzas in which the end words of the first stanza recur as end words of the following five stanzas in a successively rotating order and as the middle and end words of the three verses of the concluding tercet

Examples of sestina in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

 Many poems simply yoke together disparate elements, and some have no relation to collage at all (despite Polizzotti’s fanciful suggestion that a sestina’s repetitive pattern of line endings sort of counts). — Michael Robbins, chicagotribune.com, "'John Ashbery: They Knew What They Wanted' celebrates a poet and collagist who understood the value of fun," 9 May 2018

First Known Use of sestina

circa 1586, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for sestina

Italian, from sesto sixth

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