Feminine Rhyme

Feminine rhyme is rhyme between two words that match on two or more final syllables, with the stress falling on the next-to-last syllable or earlier. Because the ending is not strongly accented, the rhyme often sounds softer or less forceful than a masculine rhyme, which matches only the final stressed syllable.

Example

The mellow light began to fade,
Across the glass the shadows swayed.
The final syllables in each pair rhyme: mellow/swayed and the broader sound pattern gives the lines a gentler ending.

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