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; see -ary ( def. )

Example Sentences

He immediately recognized the species as Ptilotus senarius, a rare plant that had not been documented since 1967 and was widely considered extinct in the wild.

From Science Daily • May 18, 2026

Ptilotus senarius is a delicate shrub with purple pink flowers that resemble small feathered fireworks.

From Science Daily • May 18, 2026

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