trochaic

[ troh-key-ik ]

/ troʊˈkeɪ ɪk /

Prosody

adjective

pertaining to the trochee.

consisting of or employing a trochee or trochees.

noun

a trochee.

Usually trochaics. a verse or poem written in trochees.

Nearby words

trobar clus, trobriand islander, trobriand islands, trocar, troch., trochaic, trochal, trochanter, trochanterian, troche, trochee

Origin of trochaic

1580–90; < Latin trochaicus < Greek trochaïkós, equivalent to trocha(îos) trochee + -ikos -ic

Related formstro·cha·i·cal·ly, adverbun·tro·cha·ic, adjective

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

Examples from the Web for trochaic

The Greek trochaic tetrameter, similarly, contains eight trochees, the English 'trochaic tetrameter' but four.
The Principles of English Versification|Paull Franklin Baum
Of course no one of the four is a pure classical trochee; but all obey the trochaic rhythm.
The Flourishing of Romance and the Rise of Allegory|George Saintsbury
There is much more to be thought about than the placing of four trochaic feet to a line.
Books and Habits from the Lectures of Lafcadio Hearn|Lafcadio Hearn
Shelley's To a Skylark is in trochaic metre of 3-stress and 6-stress lines.
The Principles of English Versification|Paull Franklin Baum

The characteristic irregularity in this stanza is the variation from trochaic to iambic rhythm.
English Verse|Raymond MacDonald Alden, Ph.D.

British Dictionary definitions for trochaic

trochaic

/ (trəʊˈkeɪɪk) prosody /

adjective

of, relating to, or consisting of trochees

noun

another word for trochee

a verse composed of trochees

Derived Formstrochaically, adverb

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

Word Origin and History for trochaic

trochaic

adj.

1580s, from French trochaïque (1540s) or directly from Latin trochaicus, from Greek trokhaikos, from trokhaios (see trochee).