trimeter
Definition
Noun:
- A line of verse consisting of three metrical feet: In poetry, "trimeter" refers to a line that contains three metrical units, each typically composed of a specific pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables.
Adjective:
- Relating to or consisting of three metrical feet: Describing a line of poetry that has three feet.
Usage Examples
Noun:
- The poet used iambic trimeter for the entire stanza. (A stanza where each line has three iambic feet.)
- The trimeter gave the poem a quick, rhythmic pace. (The three-foot line structure created a fast tempo.)
Adjective:
- The trimeter line felt light and airy compared to the heavier pentameter. (The line with three feet seemed less dense.)
Advanced Usage
"Iambic trimeter": A common form where each foot is an iamb (unstressed-stressed), resulting in six syllables per line.
- Example: "The curfew tolls the knell of parting day" — though this is pentameter; for trimeter, a line like "I wandered lonely as" would be three iambs.
"Anapestic trimeter": Each foot is an anapest (two unstressed syllables followed by one stressed), creating a galloping rhythm.
- Example: "The Assyrian came down like the wolf on the fold" — anapestic tetrameter; trimeter would be shorter, like "In the light of the moon."
Variants and Related Words
Trimetric (adj): of or relating to trimeter.
- The trimetric pattern was consistent throughout the ode. (The pattern of three feet per line was uniform.)
Tetrameter (n): a line of four metrical feet.
- Contrasted with trimeter, tetrameter has one more foot per line.
Synonyms
- Three-foot line: a direct synonym for a trimeter line.
- Triple measure: a less common term for three-foot verse.
Related Idioms
- "Trimeter and tetrameter": Often used together to describe common English ballad meter, where alternating lines of iambic tetrameter and iambic trimeter form a ballad stanza.
- Example: "The bride came down the aisle" (trimeter) "And all the guests did smile" (tetrameter).