Home › Glossary › Letter L

Locket

Jewellery
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A small decorative pendant opening to hold a photograph or keepsake; acts as a powerful poetic motif of memory and romance.

Detailed Definition
A locket is a powerful poetic symbol of concealed memory. It may contain a portrait, lock of hair, pressed flower, or tiny written message, allowing private feeling to be carried next to the heart. Its opening and closing can mirror disclosure and secrecy. In elegiac poetry, a locket often preserves the dead in miniature, though its faded contents may also show memory's limits.
Example
Example in poetry:
In a sonnet, a locket holding a faded portrait can symbolize love preserved against time; “She wore his locket close, a small gold heart against her grief”; A poet may use a locket’s hidden compartment to suggest a secret memory or concealed sorrow; In a dramatic monologue, a speaker who opens a locket can trigger a shift from present action into recollection; “The locket clicked, and summer breathed from its miniature room” uses sound and image to make memory vivid
Additional Notes
Often symbolizes memory, secrecy, or emotional attachment because it holds a portrait, lock of hair, or tiny message. In poetry, a locket can represent concealed grief or preserved love.
Also Known As
Locket Pendant
Skip to main content