cynghanedd

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Welsh cynghanedd (“harmony”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kəŋˈhænɛð/

Noun

cynghanedd (usually uncountable, plural cynganeddion)

1. (prosody) The complex system of internal assonance, alliteration and rhyme in Welsh strict-meter poetry.
   • 1948 (revised 1952), Robert Graves, The White Goddess, Faber & Faber 1999, p. 14:

     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.

   • Britannica Online Encyclopedia:

     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.