| a rhyme of but a single stressed syllable, as in disdain, complain. |
| masculine rhyme n. A rhyme made on a single stressed syllable, as in sky/fly. |
masculine rhyme
in verse, a monosyllabic rhyme or a rhyme that occurs only in stressed final syllables (such as claims, flames or rare, despair). Compare feminine rhyme. Emily Dickinson used the masculine rhyme to great effect in the last stanza of "After great pain, a formal feeling comes-": This is the Hour of Lead-Remembered, if outlived,As Freezing persons, recollect the Snow-First-Chill-then Stupor-then the letting go-
Learn more about masculine rhyme with a free trial on Britannica.com.