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] Over the following centuries, the sonnet was taken up in many other European language areas, initially to express romantic love, 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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