Definition

1. Noun:
   • A line of verse consisting of six metrical feet: In poetry, a hexameter is a specific type of metrical line containing six feet. Each foot is a combination of stressed and unstressed syllables, and the pattern of these feet defines the meter.

Usage and Examples

• Noun:
  • The epic poem was composed in dactylic hexameter. (This describes the specific six-foot meter used in classical epics.)
  • Translating a Latin hexameter into English while preserving the meter is challenging. (This refers to a line of verse with six metrical units.)
  • He analyzed the rhythm of the hexameter. (This uses the word to denote the metrical line itself.)

Advanced Usage and Context

• Dactylic Hexameter: This is the most famous type, used in ancient Greek and Latin epic poetry (e.g., Homer's , Virgil's ). It typically consists of five dactyls (one stressed syllable followed by two unstressed) and a final spondee or trochee.
  • The dactylic hexameter was the standard meter for epic poetry.
• Elegiac Couplet: In classical poetry, this form pairs a line of dactylic hexameter with a line of pentameter.
  • The elegy was written in elegiac couplets, beginning with a hexameter.

Variants and Related Words

• Hexametric (adj): Pertaining to or written in hexameter.
  • The poem has a hexametric structure.
• Pentameter (n): A line of verse consisting of five metrical feet. (A related, more common meter in English poetry.)
• Meter/Metre (n): The basic rhythmic structure of a verse.

Synonyms

• Six-foot line: A descriptive synonym emphasizing the number of feet.
• Metrical line of six feet: A more formal, descriptive phrase.

Notes on Meaning

• The term hexameter refers strictly to the structural form of a line of poetry. It does not describe the content, theme, or quality of the verse, only its rhythmic scaffolding.
• While classical dactylic hexameter is the most referenced type, other combinations of six feet (e.g., iambic hexameter) are also possible and are simply called "hexameter" when the foot type is specified or clear from context.

Noun

1. a verse line having six metrical feet