Definition

Noun: A poetic device where two or more words within the same line of verse rhyme with each other.

Usage

This term is used in the analysis and discussion of poetry and verse. It describes a specific technical feature of a line's sound structure.

Examples

• The line "Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary" from Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven" contains an internal rhyme between "dreary" and "weary".
• "I bring fresh showers for the thirsting flowers" uses internal rhyme.
• The rapper skillfully employed internal rhyme, rhyming words in the middle of the line with the word at the end.

Advanced Usage

• Extended Internal Rhyme: When more than two words within a line rhyme, creating a dense, musical effect.
• Analysis: In literary criticism, identifying internal rhyme is key to discussing a poem's rhythm, mood, and auditory cohesion.

Variants and Related Words

• Rhyme (n.): The general correspondence of sound between words or the endings of words.
• End Rhyme (n.): The more common type of rhyme that occurs at the ends of lines.
• Slant Rhyme / Half Rhyme (n.): A type of rhyme in which the sounds are similar but not identical.

Synonyms

• In-line rhyme
• Middle rhyme

Antonyms

• End rhyme

Noun

1. a rhyme between words in the same line