iambic
/aɪˈæmbɪk/ adjective, noun
Forms iambics iambical iambick jambic
- adjective (prosody) Consisting of iambs (metrical feet with an unstressed–stressed pattern) or characterized by their predominance. [from 16th c.]
- noun (prosody) An iamb; a line or group of lines of iambs.
Antonyms
Etymology
From Middle French iambique, from Late Latin ïambicus, from Ancient Greek ἰαμβικός (iambikós), from ἴαμβος (íambos) + -ικός (-ikós).
Webster’s 1913
- adjective Consisting of a short syllable followed by a long one, or of an unaccented syllable followed by an accented; as, an iambic foot.
- adjective Pertaining to, or composed of, iambics; as, an iambic verse; iambic meter. See Lambus.
- noun (a) An iambic foot; an iambus.
- noun A satirical poem (such poems having been anciently written in iambic verse); a satire; a lampoon.
Etymology [L. iambicus, Gr. iambique.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “iambic”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details