Definition

1. Noun:
   • A verse line having ten syllables: A "decasyllable" is a metrical line in poetry that consists of exactly ten syllables. It is a common meter in English verse, particularly in forms like the iambic pentameter.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • The sonnet is traditionally written in decasyllables.
  • The poet carefully crafted each decasyllable to maintain the rhythm.
  • Identifying the decasyllables helps in analyzing the poem's meter.

Advanced Usage

• As a metrical term: In prosody (the study of verse), a "decasyllable" is a specific unit of measure. A line of iambic pentameter, for instance, is typically a decasyllable, composed of five iambic feet (each foot being two syllables, for a total of ten).
  • Much of Shakespeare's work is written in iambic decasyllables.

Variants and Related Words

• Decasyllabic (adj): Having ten syllables; pertaining to a decasyllable.
  • The decasyllabic line is a hallmark of epic poetry in many languages.

Synonyms

• Ten-syllable line: A direct descriptive synonym.
• Iambic pentameter line: A specific type of decasyllable (when the ten syllables are arranged as five iambs).

Noun

1. a verse line having ten syllables