poetry: metre

metre British English, meter American English noun [uncountable and countable] an arrangement of sounds in poetry into patterns of strong and weak beats:

• the rhythm and meter of the poem

 

iamb noun [countable] technical a unit of rhythm in poetry, that has one short or weak beat followed by a long or strong beat, as in the word 'alive':

• The line consists of five iambs.

 

trochee noun [countable] technical a unit of rhythm in poetry, that has one long or strong beat followed by a short or weak beat, as in the word 'broken'

 

spondee noun [countable] technical a unit of rhythm in poetry, that has one long or strong beat followed by another long or strong beat

 

dactyl noun [countable] technical a unit of rhythm in poetry, that has one long or strong beat followed by two short or weak beats, as in the word 'carefully'

 

iambic pentameter noun [uncountable] technical a common pattern of beats in English poetry, in which each line consists of five iambs:

• Iambic pentameter is among the most common metrical forms in English poetry.