An archaic or variant spelling of 'sonnet', referring to a 14-line poem typically written in iambic pentameter with a specific rhyme scheme. Used in older texts and some specialized contexts.
From Italian sonetto, diminutive of suono meaning 'sound', ultimately from Latin sonus. This spelling variant preserves the original Italian form more closely than the modern English 'sonnet'. The form was perfected by Petrarch in the 14th century.
This older spelling appears in early English poetry collections and reflects how words were often spelled before standardization. Shakespeare's sonnets were sometimes printed as 'sonets' in original quartos, showing the fluid nature of English spelling in the Renaissance.
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