A form of iambic verse that consists of sets of three lines in which the middle line of each set rhymes with the first and last lines of the succeeding line. The series ends with a line that rhymes with the second line of the last stanza. Terza rima is in the following format: a b a, b c b, c d c, . . ., y z y, z. The first use is attributed to Dante's 'Divina Commedia.' (en)