Definition

Noun: 1. A group or set of three lines of verse: In poetry, a tercet is a stanza consisting of three lines, often rhyming together or with an adjacent tercet. 2. A group of three musical notes performed in the time of two or four: In music, a tercet (or triplet) is a group of three notes of equal duration played in the time normally occupied by two notes of the same kind.

Usage Examples

• The poet used a tercet to conclude the sonnet, creating a powerful and compact final thought.
• Dante's is famously written in tercets using a specific interlocking rhyme scheme known as .
• The composer inserted a rapid tercet of sixteenth notes to add rhythmic complexity to the phrase.

Advanced Usage

• Terza rima: A specific and influential verse form consisting of linked tercets with an interlocking rhyme scheme (ABA, BCB, CDC, etc.).
  • Shelley's "Ode to the West Wind" is a masterful example of English poetry written in terza rima.
• Triplet: In music, "triplet" is the more common term for a tercet of notes.
  • The jazz pianist's improvisation was filled with syncopated triplets.

Variants and Related Words

• Triad (n): A group or set of three connected people or things. (e.g., ).
• Trio (n): A group of three people or things, especially musicians. (e.g., ).
• Triplet (n): 1. One of three children born at the same time. 2. In music, synonymous with a tercet of notes. 3. In poetry, a less common synonym for a tercet, especially one with a single rhyme (AAA).

Synonyms

• Triplet (for poetry and music)
• Three-line stanza (for poetry)

Related Phrases

• Enclosed tercet: A tercet with a rhyme scheme that isolates it, such as ABA.
• Terza rima stanza: A tercet that is part of the continuous form.

Noun

1. the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one