Villanelle \Vil`la*nelle"\, n. [F.] A poem written in tercets with but two rhymes, the first and third verse of the first stanza alternating as the third verse in each successive stanza and forming a couplet at the close. --E. W. Gosse. [1913 Webster]
Villanella \Vil`la*nel"la\, n.; pl. {Villanelle}. [It., a pretty country girl.] (Mus.) An old rustic dance, accompanied with singing. [1913 Webster]