a stanza form consisting of eight iambic pentameter lines, rhyming a b a b a b c c
Word origin
Italian: eighth rhyme
ottava rima in American English
(oʊˌtɑvə ˈrimə; ɔˌtɑvɑˈʀimɑ)
a stanza of eight lines with the rhyme scheme abababcc: the Italian form has eleven syllables in a line, the English, usually ten iambic-pentameter syllables