octameter

American

[ok-tam-i-ter] / ɒkˈtæm ɪ tər /

adjective

consisting of eight measures or feet.

noun

Also an octameter verse.

octameter British

/ ɒkˈtæmɪtə /

noun

prosody a verse line consisting of eight metrical feet

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of octameter

1840–50; < Late Latin < Greek oktámetros (adj.), equivalent to okta- octa- + métr ( on ) -meter + -os adj. suffix

Vocabulary lists containing octameter

Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Prefixes: oct-

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Verses of seven and eight feet are rare; they are called heptameter and octameter, respectively.

From English: Composition and Literature by Webster, W. F. (William Franklin)

The heptameter is usually divided into a tetrameter and a trimeter; the octameter, into two tetrameters.

From English: Composition and Literature by Webster, W. F. (William Franklin)

The former is trochaic—the latter is octameter acatalectic, alternating with heptameter catalectic repeated in the refrain of the fifth verse, and terminating with tetrameter catalectic.

From How to Write a Novel A Practical Guide to the Art of Fiction by Anonymous

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023