pentameter

noun

pen·​tam·​e·​ter pen-ˈta-mə-tər 

: a line of verse consisting of five metrical feet

Did you know?

In a line of poetry written in perfect iambic pentameter, there are five unstressed syllables, each of which is followed by a stressed syllable. Each pair of syllables is a metrical foot called an iamb. Much of the greatest poetry in English has been written in iambic pentameter; Chaucer, Shakespeare, and Milton used it more than any other meter. Robert Frost's line "I'm going out to clean the pasture spring" is an example of it; his "And miles to go before I sleep" is instead an example of iambic tetrameter, with only four accented syllables.

Examples of pentameter in a Sentence

a poem written in iambic pentameter

Recent Examples on the Web

The first passage is a Spenserian stanza, nine lines long, the last line being an Alexandrine—consisting of six feet, that is, and thus metrically a foot longer than the iambic pentameters that precede it. —Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 26 Feb. 2024

Adapted by Laurie Woolery, who directs, and the singer-songwriter Shaina Taub, who provides the music and lyrics, this easeful, intentional show bestows the pleasures typical of a Shakespeare comedy — adventure, disguise, multiple marriages, pentameter for days. —Alexis Soloski, New York Times, 30 Aug. 2022

But all of this was before ChatGPT, which has no trouble with text generation, even with very difficult constraints like rhyming and iambic pentameter. —Quanta Magazine, 27 Apr. 2023

Ask for a poem in Shakespearean iambic pentameter about your dog Spot, and ChatGPT will comply. —Theodore McDarrah, Forbes, 10 Jan. 2023

While Deep-speare’s language model was learning about word probabilities from Project Gutenberg’s collection of sonnets, a separate rhythm model was learning about iambic pentameter. —IEEE Spectrum, 30 Apr. 2020

Raised on jazz and classical and not rock and roll, Bacharach brought a level of melodic sophistication and romanticism — unconventional 5/4 time signatures, melodies that didn’t stick to standard iambic pentameter — into the top 40. —David Browne, Rolling Stone, 9 Feb. 2023

In the 16th century, English poets developed a distinctive sonnet style using a rhythm called iambic pentameter, where 10-syllable lines have a regular unstressed-stressed rhythmic pattern. —IEEE Spectrum, 30 Apr. 2020

Poochigian's dexterous iambic pentameter makes this version of the 3rd-century BCE Greek tale a lively, engaging read. —The Week Staff, The Week, 5 Dec. 2022

Word History

Etymology

Latin, from Greek pentametros having five metrical feet, from penta- + metron measure — more at measure

First Known Use

1580, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

pentameter

noun

pen·​tam·​e·​ter pen-ˈtam-ət-ər 

: a line of verse consisting of five metrical feet