senarius

American  

[suh-nair-ee-uhs] / səˈnɛər i əs /

noun

plural

senarii

1. Classical Prosody. a Latin verse of six feet, especially an iambic trimeter.

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Etymology

Origin of senarius

First recorded in 1540–50; from Latin sēnārius, equivalent to sēn(ī) “six each” (distributive numeral of sex “six”) + -ārius adjective suffix; -ary ( def. )

Example Sentences

His technical skill is very considerable; the iambic senarius becomes in his hands an extremely pleasing rhythm, though the occurrence of spondees in the second and fourth place savours of archaic usage.

From The History of Roman Literature From the earliest period to the death of Marcus Aurelius by Cruttwell, Charles Thomas

Consequently the common medium for conversation or for the narrative in a composition like comedy made up entirely of verse is the senarius.

From The Common People of Ancient Rome Studies of Roman Life and Literature by Abbott, Frank Frost

We here see that the senarius is designated as a well-known verse, so that it must have been in the mouths of the people long before it was applied to this piece of gossip.

From Notes and Queries, Number 31, June 1, 1850 by Various

If we should arrange the commoner Latin verses in a sequence according to the emotional effects which they produce, at the bottom of the series would stand the iambic senarius.

From The Common People of Ancient Rome Studies of Roman Life and Literature by Abbott, Frank Frost

In this way it becomes a short realistic story of every-day people, involving frequently a love intrigue, and told in the iambic senarius, the simplest form of verse.

From The Common People of Ancient Rome Studies of Roman Life and Literature by Abbott, Frank Frost