tetrastich

American  

[te-truh-stik, te-tras-tik] / ˈtɛ trə stɪk, tɛˈtræs tɪk /

noun

Prosody.

1. a strophe, stanza, or poem consisting of four lines.

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tetrastich British  

/ ˈtɛtrəˌstɪk, tɛˈtræstɪkəl, ˌtɛtrəˈstɪkɪk /

noun

1. a poem, stanza, or strophe that consists of four lines

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Other Word Forms

• tetrastichal adjective
• tetrastichic adjective

Etymology

Origin of tetrastich

1570–80; < Latin tetrastichon < Greek tetrástichon, noun use of neuter of tetrástichos. See tetrastichous

Example Sentences

The tetrastich alludes to the beauty of the Greek slaves.

From The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night — Volume 08 by Burton, Richard Francis, Sir

There was something congenial to the Roman spirit in the pithy distich or tetrastich which formed so considerable an element in the "elegant extracts" of Alexandria.

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

What I have said in the foregoing tetrastich is thus translated out of the Lanternish tongue into our vulgar dialect: All miseries attended me, whilst I A lover was, and had no good thereby.

From Gargantua and Pantagruel, Illustrated, Book 3 by Motteux, Peter Anthony