Meter
Meter is the regular pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables that gives a poem its beat. It is usually described in feet, such as iambs, trochees, or anapests, and in line length, such as pentameter or tetrameter. A poem may follow a steady meter, vary it for effect, or mix meter with freer rhythms.
Types of Meter in Poetry
Monometer = One foot
Dimeter = Two foot
Trimeter = Three foot
Tetrameter = Four foot
Pentameter = Five foot
Hexameter = Six foot
Heptameter = Seven foot
Octameter = Eight foot
Example
The silver rain on rooftops drums
And wakes the quiet street before dawn
We walk beneath the bending trees
As morning lifts the dark away
Related Definitions
[n] any of various measuring instruments for measuring a quantity
[n] rhythm as given by division into parts of equal time
[n] (prosody) the accent in a metrical foot of verse
[n] the basic unit of length adopted under the System International d'Unites (approximately 1.094 yards)
[v] measure with a meter; "meter the flow of water"
[v] stamp with a meter indicating the postage; "meter the mail"
Links
- See poems containing the word: Meter.
- See quotes containing the word: Meter.
- How many syllables are in Meter.
- What rhymes with Meter?
Related Terms
accent, accentuation, Alexandrine, alliterative meter, alternation, ammeter, ampere-hour meter, amphibrach, amphimacer, anacrusis, anapest, antispast, appraise, appraiser, appreciate, arsis, assay, assayer, assess, assessor, bacchius, beat, cadence, caden