assonance
Syllabification: (as·so·nance)
Pronunciation: /ˈasənəns/
Definition of assonance
noun
- in poetry, the repetition of the sound of a vowel or diphthong in nonrhyming stressed syllables near enough to each other for the echo to be discernible (e.g., penitence, reticence). Compare with alliteration.
Derivatives
- adjective
Pronunciation: /-ˌnāt/
verb
Origin:
early 18th century: from French, from Latin assonare 'respond to', from ad- 'to' + sonare (from sonus 'sound')