stichometry

[sti-kom-i-tree]

noun

the practice of writing a prose text in lines, often of slightly differing lengths, that correspond to units of sense and indicate phrasal rhythms.

Origin of stichometry

1745–55; < Greek stích(os) (see stich¹) + -o- + -metry

Related formsstich·o·met·ric

[stik-uh-me-trik] /ˌstɪk əˈmɛ trɪk/, stich·o·met·ri·cal, adjectivestich·o·met·ri·cal·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for stichometry

Historical Examples of stichometry

In the opinion of some, the use of the dot, at least to some extent, was earlier than stichometry.
Companion to the Bible
E. P. Barrows
If the stichometry of Nicephorus is right, the existing form of the book is merely fragmentary compared with its original compass.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 2, Slice 2
Various
However this may be, the original conception doubtless came from the stichometry of Hebrew poetry.
Companion to the Bible
E. P. Barrows

British Dictionary definitions for stichometry

stichometry

noun

prosody the practice of writing out a prose text in lines that correspond to the sense units and indicate the phrasal rhythms

Derived Formsstichometric (ˌstɪkəʊˈmɛtrɪk) or stichometrical, adjective

Word Origin for stichometry

C18: from Late Greek stikhometria. See stich, -metry

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