Rhyme, as with many other fundamental terms in the description of literary art, has often been used prescriptively in order to reinforce a particular taste or opinion. Thus ‘assonance’ and ‘alliteration’ are often strictly separated from ‘rhyme’ in order to support a particular view of what should be regarded as an acceptable rhyme. In this article we shall take an inclusive and descriptive view, and so begin with a very broad definition:

Rhyme is some degree of similarity of sound between two or more words brought into a salient relationship.

Such a definition includes what is generally called ‘rhyme’ in English, where the words brought into a salient

1167 words

Citation: Constable, John. "Rhyme". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 01 November 2001 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=956, accessed 19 April 2024.]