dimeter

American  

[dim-i-ter] / ˈdɪm ɪ tər /

noun

Prosody.

1. a verse or line of two measures or feet, as He is gone on the mountain,/He is lost to the forest.

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dimeter British  

/ ˈdɪmɪtə /

noun

1. prosody a line of verse consisting of two metrical feet or a verse written in this metre

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Etymology

Origin of dimeter

1580–90; < Late Latin dimeter < Greek dímetros of two measures, a dimeter, equivalent to di- di- ¹ + -metros, adj. derivative of métron meter ¹

Example Sentences

A circular table has a dimeter of 100 inches.

From Slate • Mar. 14, 2018

But the dimeter rhythm gives the poem a gusty, bouncing pace, the staccato verses succeeding each other like short sharp flurries of March wind.

From The Guardian • Mar. 29, 2010

The normal line of which these quatrains are composed is a thirteen-syllabled one divided by a central pause, so that the first half is an iambic dimeter catalectic, and the second an iambic dimeter hypercatalectic.

From The Flourishing of Romance and the Rise of Allegory (Periods of European Literature, vol. II) by Saintsbury, George

The synaphea peculiar to this metre is neglected by him, and the rule that each system should close with a paroemiac or dimeter catalectic is constantly violated.

From The History of Roman Literature From the earliest period to the death of Marcus Aurelius by Cruttwell, Charles Thomas

Monometer, dimeter, and trimeter are not often used for a whole stanza; but they are frequently found in a stanza, introducing variety into it.

From English: Composition and Literature by Webster, W. F. (William Franklin)