The term sonnet derives from the Italian word sonetto (lit.'little song', from the Latin word sonus, lit.'sound'). It refers to a fixed versepoetic form, traditionally consisting of fourteen lines adhering to a set rhyming scheme.[1] Originating in 13th-century Sicily, the sonnet was in time taken up in many European-language areas, mainly to express romantic love at first, although eventually any subject was considered acceptable. Many formal variations were also introduced, including abandonment of the quatorzain limit – and even of rhyme altogether in modern times.
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