French forms are fixed poetic forms that developed in medieval and later French verse, especially lyric forms built around refrains, repeated lines, and set stanza patterns. Common examples include the rondeau, rondel, triolet, villanelle, ballade, and chant royal. Writers use the term for poems that follow these French-shaped patterns rather than free verse.
Example
A poet choosing a French form might write a villanelle with two repeating lines, or a rondeau with a refrain that returns in shorter lines at the end of the poem.