rhyme

Meanings

Noun

• Rhyming verse (poetic form)
• A thought expressed in verse; a verse; a poem; a tale told in verse.
• A word that rhymes with another.
• Rhyming: sameness of sound of part of some words.
• rime
• Number.

Verb

• To compose or treat in verse; versify.
• Of a word, to be pronounced identically with another from the vowel in its stressed syllable to the end.
• Of two or more words, to be pronounced identically from the vowel in the stressed syllable of each to the end of each.
• To somewhat resemble or correspond with.
• To number; count; reckon.

Related

Narrower meaning words

• stave-rhyme, end rhyme
• internal rhyme, cross rhyme
• half rhyme, near rhyme:
• full rhyme, perfect rhyme, exact rhyme, true rhyme

Origin

• The noun derives from Middle English ryme, rime, from a merger of Old English rīm ("number") and Old French rime, ryme. Old French rime is of uncertain origin: it may represent Latin rhythmus ("rhythm"), from Ancient Greek ῥυθμός ("measure, rhythm"); or Frankish *rīm ("number, series, count"), from Proto-Germanic *rīmą ("calculation, number"), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂rey- ("to regulate, count"), cognate with Old English rīm above; or a conflation of the two. Cognates of Old English rīm include Old Frisian rīm ("number, amount, tale"), Old High German rīm ("series, row, number"), Old Norse rím ("calculation, calendar"), Old Irish rim ("number"), Welsh rhif ("number"), Ancient Greek ἀριθμός ("number"). Middle Low German rīm ("rhyme"), Dutch rijm ("rhyme"), German Reim ("rhyme"), Norwegian rim ("rhyme"), Swedish rim ("rhyme"), Icelandic rím ("rhyme") are from Old French.
• The verb derives from Middle English rymen, rimen, from Old English rīman ("to count, enumerate, number"), from Proto-Germanic *rīmaną.
• The spelling has been influenced by an assumed relationship with rhythm. Whether this relationship exists is uncertain (as stated above).