couplet
KUP-lit
/ˈkʌp.lət/
A pair of successive lines of verse, usually rhyming and of the same meter.
Consists of exactly two connected lines, often standing alone or concluding a sonnet.
The story behind the word. From Old French 'couplet', a diminutive of 'couple' (two things joined), meaning a 'little couple' of lines.
Word relationships
- pair: 'Pair' is general, while 'couplet' specifically denotes a two-line poetic unit.
Commonly confused with
- quatrain: A quatrain is a 4-line stanza; a couplet is a 2-line unit.
Collocations
- heroic couplet
- rhyming couplet
- closing couplet
Example sentences
- "For thy sweet love remembered such wealth brings / That then I scorn to change my state with kings." Classic poetry
Memory hook
A COUPLET is a COUPLE of poetic lines holding hands. Two rhyming lines.
When not to use
Do not call any two random lines a couplet unless they function as a unit and typically rhyme.
Fun facts
- Shakespeare routinely concluded his sonnets with a dramatic rhyming couplet.
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