sonnet

The term sonnet is derived from the Provençal word sonet and the Italian word sonetto, both meaning little song. By the thirteenth century, it had come to signify a poem of fourteen lines following a strict rhyme scheme and logical structure. The conventions associated with the sonnet have changed during its history.

Traditionally, English poets usually use iambic pentameter when writing sonnets. In the Romance languages, hendecasyllable and Alexandrines are the most widely used metres.