sonetto

sonnet

noun soh-NEHT-toh Less Common

Origin: from Provençal 'sonet' (little song)

Usage Note

Sonetto is the fourteen-line poetic form Italy gave the world, perfected by Petrarch and called the Petrarchan sonnet abroad. The word literally means 'little song', from a diminutive of suono (sound).

Examples

"Ha scritto un sonetto d'amore."

Natural Translation

He wrote a love sonnet.

Literal Translation

He-has written a sonnet of-love.

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