Definition

1. Noun:
   • A specific poetic stanza form consisting of eight lines, typically written in iambic pentameter (heroic verse), with a fixed rhyme scheme of abababcc.

Usage

• Noun:
  • This term is used in literary analysis and poetry to describe a formal verse structure.
  • It is a technical term from prosody, the study of poetic meter and form.

Examples

• Noun:
  • Lord Byron's epic poem "Don Juan" is famously written in ottava rima.
  • The poet chose the ottava rima for its potential to build narrative momentum over six lines and conclude with a rhyming couplet.

Advanced Usage

• The form is of Italian origin and was notably used by Italian poets like Boccaccio and Ariosto before being adopted into English poetry.
• The final rhyming couplet (cc) often provides a witty, epigrammatic, or conclusive turn to the stanza's subject matter.

Variants and Related Words

• Stanza: A grouped set of lines within a poem.
• Terza rima: A verse form consisting of tercets with an interlocking rhyme scheme (aba bcb cdc, etc.).
• Rhyme royal: A stanza of seven lines in iambic pentameter with the rhyme scheme ababbcc.

Synonyms

• Verse form: A general term for a specific structure of poetic composition.
• Stanza form: A more specific term for the structural pattern of a stanza.

Related Idioms or Phrases

• There are no common idioms or phrasal verbs directly associated with this specific technical term. It is used literally to describe the poetic form.

Noun

1. a stanza of eight lines of heroic verse with the rhyme scheme abababcc