trochaic

[ troh-key-ik ]

adjective

1. pertaining to the trochee.
2. consisting of or employing a trochee or trochees.

noun

1. a trochee.
2. Usually trochaics. a verse or poem written in trochees.

trochaic

/ trəʊˈkeɪɪk /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or consisting of trochees

noun

1. another word for trochee
2. a verse composed of trochees

Derived Forms

• troˈchaically, adverb

Other Words From

• tro·chai·cal·ly adverb
• untro·chaic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of trochaic¹

1580–90; < Latin trochaicus < Greek trochaïkós, equivalent to trocha ( îos ) trochee + -ikos -ic

Example Sentences

Many other lines in this poem are also iambic or trochaic, yet the subject matter is troubled.

From New York Times

It made “Saturday Night Live” and the David Letterman show; a literary scholar praised its “trochaic rhythm” in the National Review.

From Washington Post

But what endured in public memory far longer than the crime was the headline, with its verbless audacity, arresting parallel adjectives and forceful trochaic slams.

From New York Times

The literary result, “Mud Soup” — a cautionary tale that still pulsates with trochaic abandon — is quoted here at some length in belated contrition:

From New York Times

The regular trochaic tetrameter of these 14 lines gives the figure of Lizzie an emblematic solidity.

From The Guardian