cynghanedd
/kəŋˈhænɛð/
cynghanedd noun: the complex system of internal assonance, alliteration and rhyme in Welsh strict-meter poetry.
Noun
cynghanedd (usually uncountable, plural cynganeddion)
- The complex system of internal assonance, alliteration and rhyme in Welsh strict-meter poetry.
- Only certain epithets and metaphors were authorized; themes were similarly restricted, metres fixed, and Cynghanedd, the repetitive use of consonantal sequences with variation of vowels, became a burdensome obsession.1948 (revised 1952), Robert Graves, The White Goddess, Faber & Faber 1999, p. 14
- There are four fundamental types of cynghanedd, but within these there are a number of refinements and variations. When skillfully used, cynghanedd is capable of conveying an almost unlimited variety of subtle effects.1998, editors (names unknown), "cynghanedd" in Britannica Online Encyclopedia
Forms of cynghanedd
| plural | cynganeddion |
|---|
Origin of cynghanedd
Borrowed from Welsh cynghanedd (“harmony”).
Questions about cynghanedd
- What does cynghanedd mean?
- Cynghanedd means the complex system of internal assonance, alliteration and rhyme in Welsh strict-meter poetry.
- What part of speech is cynghanedd?
- Cynghanedd is a noun.
- How do you pronounce cynghanedd?
- Cynghanedd is pronounced /kəŋˈhænɛð/.
- What is the plural of cynghanedd?
- The plural of cynghanedd is cynganeddion.
Words near cynghanedd in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: cynghanedd (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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Cite this entry: “cynghanedd.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/cynghanedd. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.