Rhyme

Lore & Background

The word derives from Old French 'rime' or 'ryme', possibly from Old Frankish 'rīm', a Germanic term meaning 'series' or 'sequence', attested in Old English and Old High German, ultimately cognate to Old Irish 'rím' and Ancient Greek 'ἀριθμός' (arithmos, 'number'). Alternatively, the Old French words may derive from Latin 'rhythmus', from Ancient Greek 'ῥυθμός' (rhythmos, 'rhythm'). The spelling 'rhyme' was introduced at the beginning of the Modern English period from a scholarly but likely etymologically incorrect association with Latin 'rhythmus'. The older spelling 'rime' survives as a rare alternative, as in 'The Rime of the Ancient Mariner'. A distinction between the spellings is sometimes made in linguistics and phonology, where 'rime' or 'rhyme' refers to the nucleus and coda of a syllable. Rhyme partly seems to be enjoyed simply as a repeating pattern that is pleasant to hear. It is a form of art used to communicate to the reader or audience and serves as a powerful mnemonic device, facilitating short-term memory. The regular use of tail rhyme helps mark off the ends of lines, clarifying metrical structure for the listener. Poets use it for their own purposes; for example, William Shakespeare often used a rhyming couplet to mark off the end of a scene in a play. Types of rhyme include perfect rhymes (single/masculine, double/feminine, dactylic), general rhymes (syllabic, imperfect, weak, semirhyme, forced, assonance, consonance, half rhyme, pararhyme, alliteration), identical rhymes, eye rhymes, and mind rhymes. Rhymes may also be classified by position: tail rhyme, internal rhyme, off-centered rhyme, holorime, echo rhyme, broken rhyme, and cross rhyme. A rhyme scheme is the pattern of rhyming lines in a poem.

Reader's Guide

Rhyme has been a structural element in poetry across many languages, including modern European languages and Arabic, used in set patterns for specific poetic forms such as ballads, sonnets, and rhyming couplets. Some rhyming schemes have become associated with a specific language, culture, or period, while others have achieved use across languages, cultures, or time periods. However, the use of structural rhyme is not universal even within the European tradition; much modern poetry avoids traditional rhyme schemes. The earliest surviving evidence of rhyming is the Chinese Shi Jing (ca. 10th century BCE). Rhyme is also occasionally used in the Bible. In classical Greek and Latin poetry, rhyme was only an occasional feature; for instance, Catullus includes partial rhymes in a poem, and rhymes in The Wasps by Aristophanes are noted by a translator. Rhyme became a permanent—even obligatory—feature of poetry in Hebrew language around the 4th century CE, found in Jewish liturgical poetry written in the Byzantine Empire era. This was realized by scholars only recently, thanks to thousands of piyyuts discovered in the Cairo Geniza. It is assumed that the principle of rhyme was transferred from Hebrew liturgical poetry to Syriac Christian poetry (in Aramaic), and through this mediation introduced into Latin poetry and then into all other languages of Europe. Rhyme is central to classical Arabic poetry tracing back to its pre-Islamic roots.

Did You Know?

• The word 'rhyme' derives from Old French 'rime' or 'ryme', possibly from Old Frankish 'rīm' meaning 'series' or 'sequence'.
• The spelling 'rhyme' was introduced from a scholarly but likely etymologically incorrect association with Latin 'rhythmus'.
• The earliest surviving evidence of rhyming is the Chinese Shi Jing (ca. 10th century BCE).
• Rhyme became a permanent feature of Hebrew poetry around the 4th century CE, found in Jewish liturgical poetry from the Byzantine Empire.