rhyme

• rime
• rhime (obsolete)

• The noun derives from Middle English ryme, rime (“number, rhyme, verse”), from a merger of Old English rīm (“number, counting, reckoning, calendar, numeral, sum, aggregate, value, enumeration, series”) and Old French rime, ryme (“rhyme”). Old French rime is of uncertain origin: it may represent Latin rhythmus (“rhythm”), from Ancient Greek ῥυθμός (rhuthmós, “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 rīm (“number”), Welsh rhif (“number”), Ancient Greek ἀριθμός (arithmós, “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 [Term?].

• 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).

• (UK, US) enPR: rīm, IPA^(key): /ɹaɪm/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aɪm
• Homophone: rime

rhyme (countable and uncountable, plural rhymes)

1. (countable, uncountable) Rhyming verse (poetic form)

   Many editors say they don't want stories written in rhyme.

2. A thought expressed in verse; a verse; a poem; a tale told in verse.

   Tennyson’s rhymes

3. (countable) A word that rhymes with another.

   Norse poetry is littered with rhymes like "sól ... sunnan".

   Rap makes use of rhymes such as "money ... honey" and "nope ... dope".

   1. (countable, in particular) A word that rhymes with another, in that it is pronounced identically with the other word from the vowel in its stressed syllable to the end.

      "Awake" is a rhyme for "lake".

4. (uncountable) Rhyming: sameness of sound of part of some words.

   The poem exhibits a peculiar form of rhyme.

5. (linguistics) rime
6. (obsolete) Number.

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

rhyme (third-person singular simple present rhymes, present participle rhyming, simple past and past participle rhymed)

1. (transitive, intransitive) To compose or treat in verse; versify.
   • 1742, Alexander Pope, The Dunciad, book 4, lines 101-102:

     There marched the bard and blockhead, side by side,

     Who rhymed for hire, and patronized for pride.

2. (intransitive, followed by with) Of a word, to be pronounced identically with another from the vowel in its stressed syllable to the end.

   "Creation" rhymes with "integration" and "station".

3. (reciprocal) Of two or more words, to be pronounced identically from the vowel in the stressed syllable of each to the end of each.

   "Mug" and "rug" rhyme.

   "India" and "windier" rhyme with each other in non-rhotic accents.

   I rewrote the story to make it rhyme.

4. (transitive, obsolete) To number; count; reckon.

• “rhyme” in Douglas Harper, Online Etymology Dictionary, 2001–2019.

• Hymer, Myhre