iambic
eye-AM-bik
/aɪˈæm.bɪk/
Relating to or consisting of iambs—poetic feet of one unstressed syllable followed by one stressed syllable.
Sounds like a heartbeat: da-DUM, da-DUM.
The story behind the word. From Greek 'iambos', a metrical foot used originally in satire and invective poetry in ancient Greece.
Word relationships
- trochaic: Trochaic meter has a STRESSED syllable followed by an unstressed syllable (DUM-da).
Commonly confused with
- trochaic: Iambic is da-DUM; trochaic is DUM-da.
Word family
- iamb (noun): A metrical foot consisting of one short (or unstressed) syllable followed by one long (or stressed) syllable.
Collocations
- iambic pentameter
- iambic rhythm
- iambic verse
Example sentences
- "Shakespeare wrote his plays predominantly in unrhymed iambic pentameter." Poetic rhythm
Memory hook
i-AM, i-AM, i-AM — 'i-AM' follows the short-LONG iambic rhythm! da-DUM heartbeat rhythm.
When not to use
Do not describe poetry as iambic if the accent falls on the first syllable (that is trochaic).
Fun facts
- English speech naturally falls into iambic patterns because of its stress system.
Take your vocabulary further with LangBlitz
Our English vocabulary app: FSRS spaced repetition, 5,000+ curated words across 119 topic groups, CEFR A1 to C2. Explore your mastery with the beautiful Vocabulary World feature.