338:
and a thesis, that is, a place where the foot was raised ("arsis") and where it was put down ("thesis") in beating time or in marching or dancing. The Greeks recognised three basic types of feet, the iambic (where the ratio of arsis to thesis was 1:2), the dactylic (where it was 2:2) and the paeonic
395:
The following lists describe the feet in terms of vowel length (as in classical languages). Translated into syllable stresses (as in
English poetry), "long" becomes "stressed" ("
334:, which in turn is a translation of the Ancient Greek πούς, pl. πόδες. The Ancient Greek prosodists, who invented this terminology, specified that a foot must have both an
380:
Below listed are the names given to the poetic feet by classical metrics. The feet are classified first by the number of syllables in the foot (
239:
1910:
392:
four) and secondarily by the pattern of vowel lengths (in classical languages) or syllable stresses (in
English poetry) which they comprise.
1282:
1531:
412:
1742:
1169:
232:
1227:
225:
1275:
1918:
1524:
1735:
403:, which is short-long in classical meter, becomes unstressed-stressed, as in the English word "alone".
1462:
1268:
364:
The foot is a purely metrical unit; there is no inherent relation to a word or phrase as a unit of
269:
68:
291:, and is usually two, three, or four syllables in length. The most common feet in English are the
265:
1995:
1990:
1517:
83:
1728:
1454:
29:
1478:
1393:
1348:
280:
88:
8:
1905:
1649:
1625:
1936:
1654:
1637:
1421:
1411:
1330:
1310:
1246:
273:
193:
163:
118:
78:
48:
1817:
1620:
1615:
1483:
1255:
1223:
1216:
1165:
687:
531:
372:, though the interplay between these is an aspect of the poet's skill and artistry.
1401:
335:
320:
208:
188:
143:
1694:
1867:
1699:
1632:
1444:
1406:
1320:
1140:
1135:
753:
553:
396:
358:
354:
347:
342:
Lines of verse are classified according to the number of feet they contain, e.g.
300:
203:
198:
178:
173:
93:
73:
58:
53:
1966:
1931:
1827:
1548:
1540:
1368:
257:
148:
123:
1984:
1953:
1772:
1767:
1684:
1666:
1610:
1493:
1468:
1373:
346:. However some lines of verse are not considered to be made up of feet, e.g.
128:
43:
38:
1958:
1900:
1890:
1782:
1439:
1343:
1338:
1251:
665:
312:
284:
138:
103:
63:
1689:
1674:
1822:
1751:
1679:
1473:
1383:
1378:
1186:
860:
460:
400:
316:
308:
292:
133:
1872:
1862:
1847:
1807:
1586:
1576:
1571:
1434:
575:
343:
20:
1948:
1943:
1895:
1591:
1581:
1556:
1363:
1297:
399:"), and "short" becomes "unstressed" ("unaccented"). For example, an
365:
213:
158:
1923:
1812:
1792:
1787:
1566:
1488:
1429:
1353:
1305:
963:
620:
597:
304:
288:
277:
153:
113:
108:
98:
1709:
1260:
19:"Pedes" redirects here. For the ancient Roman unit of length, see
1857:
1832:
1797:
1644:
1561:
500:
478:
443:
296:
1509:
1852:
1842:
1837:
1802:
1777:
1759:
1720:
1358:
642:
482:
369:
261:
183:
1882:
1704:
1498:
1247:
Comprehensive list of feet and colas up to 12 syllables long
326:
The
English word "foot" is a translation of the Latin term
357:, two feet are combined into a larger unit called a
1215:
16:Basic repeating rhythmic unit in a line of poetry
1982:
1736:
1525:
1276:
233:
1218:The Oxford Companion to Classical Literature
1743:
1729:
1532:
1518:
1283:
1269:
353:In some kinds of metre, such as the Greek
240:
226:
1213:
1162:The Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms
1159:
1983:
1724:
1513:
1264:
1222:. New York: Oxford University Press.
1164:. New York: Oxford University Press.
1290:
13:
375:
307:. The foot might be compared to a
266:Indo-European traditions of poetry
14:
2007:
1539:
1240:
695:
1750:
1202:Aristoxenes: Elementa Rhythmica
508:
1207:
1194:
1178:
1153:
406:
1:
1214:Howatson, M. C., ed. (1976).
1146:
260:that forms part of a line of
1919:Perfect and imperfect rhymes
427:= unstressed/short syllable
7:
1129:
723:tetrabrach, proceleusmatic
10:
2012:
287:. The unit is composed of
18:
1881:
1758:
1665:
1600:
1547:
1453:
1420:
1392:
1329:
1296:
1098:
994:
888:minor ionic, double iamb
834:
727:
421:= stressed/long syllable
270:accentual-syllabic verse
69:Latin rhythmic hexameter
1200:Pearson, Lionel (1990)
1184:Pearson, Lionel (1990)
1160:Baldick, Chris (2008).
361:(pl. metra) or dipody.
256:is the basic repeating
463:(or iambus or jambus)
84:Metres of Roman comedy
1204:(Oxford), pp. 25, 27.
30:Greek and Latin metre
1189:: Elementa Rhythmica
339:(where it was 3:2).
268:, including English
89:Trochaic septenarius
1650:Trochaic tetrameter
1937:Off-centered rhyme
1655:Trochaic octameter
1638:Dactylic hexameter
274:quantitative meter
194:Resolution (meter)
164:Anaclasis (poetry)
119:Asclepiad (poetry)
79:Saturnian (poetry)
49:Dactylic hexameter
1978:
1977:
1718:
1717:
1626:Iambic heptameter
1621:Iambic pentameter
1616:Iambic tetrameter
1507:
1506:
1171:978-0-19-923891-0
1127:
1126:
863:, double trochee
693:
692:
506:
505:
250:
249:
2003:
1745:
1738:
1731:
1722:
1721:
1645:Trochee/Trochaic
1534:
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1520:
1511:
1510:
1402:Secondary stress
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1262:
1261:
1256:H.T. Kirby-Smith
1252:Prosody Tutorial
1234:
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1211:
1205:
1198:
1192:
1191:(Oxford), p. 29.
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1115:
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1105:
1094:fourth epitrite
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413:Macron and breve
321:musical notation
242:
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228:
209:Arsis and thesis
189:Biceps (prosody)
144:Galliambic verse
26:
25:
2011:
2010:
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1971:Weak/Unaccented
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1868:Verse paragraph
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1503:
1449:
1445:Extra-shortness
1416:
1407:Vowel reduction
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1321:Vowel reduction
1292:
1291:Suprasegmentals
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1208:
1199:
1195:
1183:
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1141:Syllable weight
1136:Accent (poetry)
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1069:third epitrite
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600:, antidactylus
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376:Classical meter
355:iambic trimeter
348:hendecasyllable
246:
199:Brevis brevians
179:Brevis in longo
174:Metron (poetry)
94:Hendecasyllable
74:Iambic trimeter
59:Alcmanian verse
54:Elegiac couplet
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1932:Internal rhyme
1929:
1928:Imperfect/Near
1926:
1921:
1916:
1915:Forced/Oblique
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1828:Sapphic stanza
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1369:Tone terracing
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390:tetrasyllables
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149:Sotadean metre
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124:Sapphic stanza
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33:
32:
15:
9:
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4:
3:
2:
2008:
1997:
1996:Metrical feet
1994:
1992:
1991:Poetic rhythm
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1954:Perfect rhyme
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1773:Ballad stanza
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1768:Alcaic stanza
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1667:Arabic poetry
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1603:metrical feet
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1541:Poetic meters
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1494:Prosodic unit
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1469:Pitch contour
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1316:Metrical foot
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281:ancient Greek
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129:Alcaic stanza
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44:Latin prosody
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39:Greek prosody
37:
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1959:Rhyme scheme
1901:Broken rhyme
1891:Alliteration
1783:Burns stanza
1752:Poetic forms
1602:
1440:Vowel length
1344:Pitch accent
1339:Tone contour
1315:
1217:
1209:
1201:
1196:
1185:
1180:
1161:
1155:
666:antibacchius
509:Trisyllables
411:
410:
394:
389:
386:trisyllables
385:
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363:
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341:
331:
327:
325:
317:pulse groups
285:Latin poetry
253:
251:
204:Porson's Law
168:
139:Anacreontics
104:Aeolic verse
64:Archilochian
1911:Cross rhyme
1823:Rhyme royal
1474:Pitch reset
1384:Tone letter
1379:Tone sandhi
1187:Aristoxenes
407:Disyllables
388:three, and
382:disyllables
134:Ionic metre
1985:Categories
1906:Consonance
1873:Villanelle
1863:Terza rima
1848:Tail rhyme
1808:Quatorzain
1601:Meters by
1587:Heptameter
1577:Pentameter
1572:Tetrameter
1463:Intonation
1435:Gemination
1147:References
1123:dispondee
990:antispast
913:ditrochee
576:amphibrach
415:notation:
384:have two,
344:pentameter
21:Pes (unit)
1963:Semirhyme
1949:Pararhyme
1944:Monorhyme
1896:Assonance
1690:Mutaqārib
1592:Octameter
1582:Hexameter
1557:Monometer
1364:Downdrift
330:, plural
289:syllables
278:classical
214:Catalexis
159:Lekythion
1967:Syllabic
1924:Holorime
1818:Quintain
1813:Quatrain
1793:Cinquain
1788:Chaubola
1567:Trimeter
1489:Loudness
1430:Chroneme
1354:Downstep
1349:Register
1306:Syllable
1130:See also
964:choriamb
688:molossus
621:bacchius
598:anapaest
532:tribrach
397:accented
305:anapaest
272:and the
264:in most
154:Dochmiac
114:Glyconic
109:Choriamb
99:Choliamb
1858:Triolet
1833:Sestain
1798:Couplet
1760:Stanzas
1562:Dimeter
1465:(pitch)
1455:Prosody
938:diiamb
752:primus
501:spondee
479:trochee
366:meaning
311:, or a
297:trochee
1883:Rhymes
1853:Tercet
1843:Sonnet
1838:Sestet
1803:Ghazal
1778:Biolet
1633:Dactyl
1484:Rhythm
1479:Stress
1422:Length
1412:Accent
1394:Stress
1359:Upstep
1298:Timing
1226:
1168:
859:major
643:cretic
554:dactyl
483:choree
370:syntax
359:metron
303:, and
301:dactyl
184:Anceps
1710:Wāfir
1705:Tawīl
1700:Rajaz
1695:Madīd
1685:Kāmil
1680:Hazaj
1675:Basīṭ
1549:Meter
1499:Pausa
861:ionic
754:paeon
336:arsis
332:pedes
319:, in
262:verse
1611:Iamb
1331:Tone
1311:Mora
1224:ISBN
1166:ISBN
461:iamb
401:iamb
313:beat
293:iamb
283:and
254:foot
252:The
1254:by
368:or
328:pes
309:bar
276:of
1987::
481:,
423:,
350:.
323:.
299:,
295:,
1744:e
1737:t
1730:v
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1232:.
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241:e
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227:v
23:.
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