The term "sonnet" erives from the Occitan word sonet and the Italian word sonetto, both meaning "little song." By the thirteenth century, it had come to signify a poem of fourteen lines that follows a strict rhyme scheme and specific structure. The conventions associated with the sonnet have evolved over its history. The writers of sonnets are sometimes referred to as "sonneteers," although the term can be used derisively. Many modern writers of sonnets choose simply to be called "sonnet writers." One of the most well known sonnet writers is Shakespeare, who wrote 154 sonnets.