Alexandrine

¹ American  

[al-ig-zan-drin, -dreen, -zahn-] / ˌæl ɪgˈzæn drɪn, -drin, -ˈzɑn- /

Or alexandrine

noun

1. a verse or line of poetry of twelve syllables.

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adjective

1. of or relating to such a verse or line.

Alexandrine ² American  

[al-ig-zan-drin, -dreen, -zahn-] / ˌæl ɪgˈzæn drɪn, -drin, -ˈzɑn- /

adjective

1. of or relating to Alexandria, Egypt.

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Alexandrine British  

/ -ˈzɑːn-, ˌælɪɡˈzændraɪn, -drɪn /

noun

1. a line of verse having six iambic feet, usually with a caesura after the third foot

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adjective

1. of, characterized by, or written in Alexandrines

Etymology

Origin of Alexandrine¹

First recorded in 1580–90; from Middle French alexandrin, after Alexandre, from the use of this meter in an Old French poem on Alexander the Great ( def. ); -ine ¹

Origin of Alexandrine²

First recorded in 1490–1500; Alexandr(ia) + -ine ¹

Example Sentences

Madagascar’s Marie Alexandrine Rasoanantenaina constructs delicate, nest-like baskets of vetiver, a wild grass.

From Washington Post • Dec. 9, 2022

Meirowsky entrusted “Wheatstacks” to a Paris-based art dealer, who sold it to Alexandrine de Rothschild, a member of the renowned Jewish banking family.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 15, 2021

The pastoral piece was then purchased from the dealer in Paris by Alexandrine de Rothschild, part of a Jewish family of bankers.

From New York Times • Oct. 14, 2021

Christian asks and his question gets to the paradoxical heart of this play: the language of romance, whether in Alexandrine verse or rap couplets, is entrancing but not wholly trustworthy.

From The Guardian • Feb. 13, 2020

It turned out that Ian Woodall, Cathy O’Dowd, and Bruce Herrod were in the Icefall, making their way down from Camp Two, but Woodall’s girlfriend, Alexandrine Gaudin, was present, as was his brother, Philip.

From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer