tercet: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
C2Literary, Technical (Poetics)
Quick answer
What does “tercet” mean?
A group of three lines of verse, especially one rhyming together or forming a stanza.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
A group of three lines of verse, especially one rhyming together or forming a stanza.
A stanza of three lines in various poetic traditions (e.g., terza rima) or, more broadly, any set of three items, though this is rare.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant spelling or meaning differences; usage is confined to identical literary/technical contexts.
Connotations
None beyond its technical definition.
Frequency
Equally rare and specialised in both varieties.
Grammar
How to Use “tercet” in a Sentence
The poem consists of [NUMERAL] tercets.The [ADJECTIVE] tercet concludes the stanza.Vocabulary
Collocations
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Not used.
Academic
Used in literary criticism and poetry analysis.
Everyday
Virtually never used.
Technical
Standard term in poetics and verse analysis.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “tercet”
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “tercet”
- Using 'tercet' to refer to three people (use 'trio' or 'triplet').
- Pronouncing it /tərˈset/ (the stress is on the first syllable).
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
In poetry, yes, they are often used synonymously, though 'tercet' is the more technical term. A triplet strictly requires all three lines to rhyme (AAA), while a tercet can have other rhyme schemes (e.g., ABA).
No, it is a highly specialised literary term. Using it outside discussions of poetry will likely cause confusion.
A haiku is a specific Japanese poetic form of three lines with a 5-7-5 syllable pattern. A tercet is a general Western term for any three-line stanza, which could include a haiku in translation, but not all tercets are haikus.
In British English: /ˈtɜː.sɪt/ (TUR-sit). In American English: /ˈtɝː.sɪt/ (TUR-sit). The stress is always on the first syllable.
A group of three lines of verse, especially one rhyming together or forming a stanza.
Tercet is usually literary, technical (poetics) in register.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “None”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of 'TERCET' as 'TER' (like 'TERtiary', meaning third) + 'CET' (sounds like 'set') – a 'set of three' lines.
Conceptual Metaphor
CONTAINER (The tercet contains a complete thought or image); BUILDING BLOCK (Tercets are the structural units of a longer poem).
Practice
Quiz
What is a tercet?