CultureAugust 1, 2026

pentameter

pen-TAM-uh-ter

Definition

A line of verse consisting of five metrical feet, each typically containing two syllables.

Etymology

Derived from the Greek words 'penta' (five) and 'metron' (measure), the term entered English via the French 'pentamètre' to describe a specific rhythmic pattern in poetry.

In the news

The author notes that she translated The Odyssey into iambic pentameter, a rhythmic structure commonly used in English poetry.

Emily Wilson · An Uncomplicated Man

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London Review of Books

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