This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
hexameter
[ hek-sam-i-ter ]
/ hɛkˈsæm ɪ tər /
Save This Word!
This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
noun
a dactylic line of six feet, as in Greek and Latin epic poetry, in which the first four feet are dactyls or spondees, the fifth is ordinarily a dactyl, and the last is a trochee or spondee, with a caesura usually following the long syllable in the third foot.
any line of verse in six feet, as in English poetry.
adjective
consisting of six metrical feet.
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?
Origin of hexameter
1540–50; <Latin <Greek hexámetros of six measures, equivalent to hexa-hexa- + métr(on) measure + -os adj. suffix
OTHER WORDS FROM hexameter
hex·a·met·ric [hek-suh-me-trik], /ˌhɛk səˈmɛ trɪk/, hex·a·met·ri·cal, hex·am·e·tral, adjectiveWords nearby hexameter
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use hexameter in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for hexameter
hexameter
/ (hɛkˈsæmɪtə) /
noun prosody
a verse line consisting of six metrical feet
(in Greek and Latin epic poetry) a verse line of six metrical feet, of which the first four are usually dactyls or spondees, the fifth almost always a dactyl, and the sixth a spondee or trochee
Derived forms of hexameter
hexametric (ˌhɛksəˈmɛtrɪk), hexametral or hexametrical, adjectiveCollins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012