iambus

views updated May 17 2018

iambus a metrical foot consisting of one short (or unstressed) syllable followed by one long (or stressed) syllable. The word, which is Latin, comes from Greek iambos ‘iambus, lampoon’, from iaptein ‘attack verbally’ (because the iambic trimeter was first used by Greek satirists).

The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable ELIZABETH KNOWLES

iambus

views updated May 21 2018

iambus XVI. — L. — Gr. ambos. Anglicized iamb XIX.
So iambic XVI. — F. — late L. — Gr.

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology T. F. HOAD

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iambus

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