Definitions

 This page, in theory, is meant to define some of the most common poetry terms to help your understanding of our definitions of different poetry forms. This list will be growing as we find more time to add to it, so bide with us for now. . .

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

A

Anapest (an anapestic foot):
A three syllable foot made of two unstressed syllables followed by one stressed syllable. The word "comprehend," pronounced "com - pre - HEND," is a good example. This is the opposite of the spondaic foot.
Assonance:
This happens when the same vowel sound is repeated over and over again.
example: The horse said nay while eating hay when he found out he was going to stay.

B

Blank verse:
This is unrhymed, usually iambic, pentameter. For examples, check out the BlankVerse page on Tangerine!

C

Couplet:
Two lines of poetry that have the same meter, and rhyme scheme. Example:
I'm being driven up the WALL
I need to make a phone CALL.

D

Dactyl (a dactylic foot):
A three syllable foot which is accented on the first syllable. An example of this would be the word "merrily," which is spoken: MER - ri - ly
Dimeter:
A two foot line of poetry. A poem done in dimeter would look like so:
When I look up
I see the sky
And wonder why
I cannot fly.

E

F

Foot:
A unit used in poetry composed of syllables in some pattern of unaccented and accented syllables. There are five most commonly used sets: iambic (iamb), trochaic (trochee), anapestic (anapest), dactylic (dactyl), and spondaic (spondee).
Free verse:
Lines containing rhythm but nonmetrical lines. For examples, check out theFree Verse page on Tangerine!

G

H

Heroic Couplet:
A couplet with iambic pentameter.
Heptameter:
A line of poetry consisting of seven feet.
Hexameter:
A line of poetry consisting of six feet.

I

Iamb (an iambic foot):
A foot consisting of two syllables where the accent lies on the second syllable. (ie, today, hello, perhaps) The opposite of the trochaic foot.

J

K

L

M

Meter:
The measure for rhythm in a poem, usually defined by feet and the accent pattern (iambic, trochaic, anapestic, etc.)

N

O

Octameter:
A line consisting of eight feet.
Onomatopoeia:
The usage of words that create audio sounds.
Example: "pitter-patter" is used to immitate the sound of rain or children's feet, and "bzz" is used for bees humming.

P

Pentameter:
A line consisting of five feet.

Q

R

S

Scansion:
Mapping a poem's form into it's feet and syllable pattern.
Spondee (a spondaic foot):
A two syllable foot that is comprised of two accented syllables. Usually this is done in poetry by using one syllable words (ie, rock, bird, snow) in a row. This is the opposite of the anapestic foot.
Stanza:
A group of lines in a poem with a common meter and rhyme scheme.
Syllabic Meter:
A form of meter in which only syllables are counted, such as in haikus and such.

T

Tetrameter:
A line poetry consisting of four metrical feet.
Trimeter:
A line of poetry consisting of three metrical feet.
Trochee (a trochaic foot):
A foot in with one accented syllable followed by one unaccented syllable. It is the opposite of the iambic foot.

U

V

W

X

Y

Z

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This page maintained by Alice Vo Edwards and Angeline Tiamson.
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