sestina

Noun

sestina (plural sestinas)

1. A highly structured poem consisting of six six-line stanzas followed by a tercet or envoy, for a total of thirty-nine lines.
   • Although the sestina is of medieval French origin, attributed to Arnaut Daniel in the late twelfth century and used by other Gallic poets and by Italians including Petrarch and Dante (from whom it received its Italian name), […]2002, Annie Finch, Kathrine Varnes, An Exaltation of Forms: Contemporary Poets Celebrate the Diversity of Their Art, University of Michigan Press, →ISBN, page 290
   • Would he let others toil to support him while he languished all afternoon over his sestinas?2022, Ian McEwan, Lessons, page 11
2. A chord comprising the first six members of the harmonic series.