[Origin: 1250–1300; ME rime < OF, deriv. of rimer to rhyme < Gallo-Romance *rimāre to put in a row ≪ OHG rīm series, row; prob. not connected with L rhythmus rhythm, although current sp. (from c1600) appar. by assoc. with this word]
"agreement in terminal sounds," 1565, partially restored spelling, from M.E. ryme, rime (c.1200) "measure, meter, rhythm," later "rhymed verse," from O.Fr. rime (fem.), related to O.Prov. rim (masc.), earlier *ritme, from L. rithmus, from Gk. rhythmos "measured motion, time, proportion" (see rhythm).
"In MedL. rithmus was used of accentual, as opposed to quantitative, verse, and, as accentual verse was usually rhymed, the word acquired the meaning which it has in all the Rom[anic]. and Teut[onic] langs." [Weekley]
Persistence of older form is due to popular association with O.E. rim "number," from PIE base *re(i)- "to reason, count." The verb is first attested 1672 (of words), "to have the same end sound;" 1697 (of poets), "to make rhymes." Phrase rhyme or reason "good sense" (chiefly used in the negative) is from 1664. Rhyme royal (1841) is a stanza of seven 10-syllable lines rhymed a-b-a-b-b-c-c.
Ot*ta"va ri"ma\ [It. See Octave, and Rhyme.] (Pros.) A stanza of eight lines of heroic verse, with three rhymes, the first six lines rhyming alternately and the last two forming a couplet. It was used by Byron in "Don Juan," by Keats in "Isabella," by Shelley in "The Witch of Atlas," etc.
Rhyme\, n. [OE. ryme, rime, AS. r[=i]m number; akin to OHG. r[=i]m number, succession, series, G. reim rhyme. The modern sense is due to the influence of F. rime, which is of German origin, and originally the same word.] [The Old English spelling rime is becoming again common. See Note under Prime.]1. An expression of thought in numbers, measure, or verse; a composition in verse; a rhymed tale; poetry; harmony of language. "Railing rhymes." --Daniel. A ryme I learned long ago. --Chaucer. He knew Himself to sing, and build the lofty rime. --Milton. 2. (Pros.) Correspondence of sound in the terminating words or syllables of two or more verses, one succeeding another immediately or at no great distance. The words or syllables so used must not begin with the same consonant, or if one begins with a vowel the other must begin with a consonant. The vowel sounds and accents must be the same, as also the sounds of the final consonants if there be any. For rhyme with reason may dispense, And sound has right to govern sense. --Prior. 3. Verses, usually two, having this correspondence with each other; a couplet; a poem containing rhymes. 4. A word answering in sound to another word. Female rhyme. See under Female. Male rhyme. See under Male. Rhyme or reason, sound or sense. Rhyme royal (Pros.), a stanza of seven decasyllabic verses, of which the first and third, the second, fourth, and fifth, and the sixth and seventh rhyme.
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Audio Help [rahym] Pronunciation Key noun, verb, rhymed, rhym·ing. 
