sestina
noun
ses·ti·na
se-ˈstē-nə 
: a lyrical fixed form consisting of six 6-line usually unrhymed stanzas in which the end words of the first stanza recur as end words of the following five stanzas in a successively rotating order and as the middle and end words of the three verses of the concluding tercet
Examples of sestina in a Sentence
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The last word of each line in the first stanza of a sestina is also used to end the lines in each subsequent stanza, except the order of those end words differs for each stanza.
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The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 14 Mar. 2025
Heffernan, who was raised in southwest Detroit, was known for pushing the boundaries of traditional poetic forms such as sonnets, sestinas and iambic pentameters, infusing them with everyday conversational tones and theological depth.
—Brendel Hightower, Detroit Free Press, 10 May 2024
Well, Laura likes to say that what ChatGPT is actually good at is making sestinas.
—The Politics Of Everything, The New Republic, 10 May 2023
Her own verse often drew on classical forms such as the villanelle, sestina, tritina and sonnet, and sometimes incorporated references to ancient mythology and medieval legend.
—Harrison Smith, Washington Post, 8 July 2019
Many poems simply yoke together disparate elements, and some have no relation to collage at all (despite Polizzotti’s fanciful suggestion that a sestina’s repetitive pattern of line endings sort of counts).
—Michael Robbins, chicagotribune.com, 9 May 2018
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The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 14 Mar. 2025
Heffernan, who was raised in southwest Detroit, was known for pushing the boundaries of traditional poetic forms such as sonnets, sestinas and iambic pentameters, infusing them with everyday conversational tones and theological depth.
—Brendel Hightower, Detroit Free Press, 10 May 2024
Well, Laura likes to say that what ChatGPT is actually good at is making sestinas.
—The Politics Of Everything, The New Republic, 10 May 2023
Her own verse often drew on classical forms such as the villanelle, sestina, tritina and sonnet, and sometimes incorporated references to ancient mythology and medieval legend.
—Harrison Smith, Washington Post, 8 July 2019
Many poems simply yoke together disparate elements, and some have no relation to collage at all (despite Polizzotti’s fanciful suggestion that a sestina’s repetitive pattern of line endings sort of counts).
—Michael Robbins, chicagotribune.com, 9 May 2018
Cite this Entry
“Sestina.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sestina. Accessed 6 Jul. 2025.
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