Venus and Adonis stanza

: a stanza consisting of an iambic pentameter quatrain and couplet with the rhyme scheme ababcc

Word History

Etymology

from Venus and Adonis (1593), poem in this stanza by William Shakespeare †1616 English dramatist and poet

Love words?

You must — there are over 200,000 words in our free online dictionary, but you are looking for one that’s only in the Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary.

Start your free trial today and get unlimited access to America's largest dictionary, with:

• More than 250,000 words that aren't in our free dictionary
• Expanded definitions, etymologies, and usage notes
• Advanced search features
• Ad free!