terzarima (terts a rem a)

[ three that are closely connected. The middle line of the first tiercet rimes with the first and third lines of the second tiercet, the middle line of the second tiercet rimes with the first and third lines of the third tiercet, and so on. At the end of the poem or canto there is an extra line which has the same rime as the middle line of the preceding tiercet. In this form of verse Dante's "Divina Com media" is written. The most conspicuous example of its use in English literature is Byron's "Prophecy of Dante."