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octameter

[ ok-tam-i-ter ]

adjective

  1. consisting of eight measures or feet.


noun

  1. Also an octameter verse.

octameter

/ ɒkˈtæmɪtə /

noun

  1. prosody a verse line consisting of eight metrical feet
“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
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Word History and Origins

Origin of octameter1

1840–50; < Late Latin < Greek oktámetros (adj.), equivalent to okta- octa- + métr ( on ) -meter + -os adj. suffix
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Example Sentences

The former is trochaic—the latter is octameter acatalectic, alternating with heptameter catalectic repeated in the refrain of the fifth verse, and terminating with tetrameter catalectic.

Verses of seven and eight feet are rare; they are called heptameter and octameter, respectively.

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