What is "tetrameter"

Tetrameter \Te*tram"e*ter\, n. [L. tetrametrus, Gr. ?; te`tra- (see Tetra-) + ? a measure: cf. F. t['e]tram[`e]tre.] (GR. & Latin Pros.) A verse or line consisting of four measures, that is, in iambic, trochaic, and anapestic verse, of eight feet; in other kinds of verse, of four feet.

1610s, from Late Latin tetrametrus, from Greek tetrametron "verse of four measures" (generally trochaic), noun use of neuter of tetrametros (adj.) "having four measures," from tetra- "four" (see tetra-) + metron "measure" (see meter (n.2)).

alt. 1 (context poetry English) A line in a poem having four metrical feet. 2 (context prosody English) A poetic metre in which each line has four feet. n. 1 (context poetry English) A line in a poem having four metrical feet. 2 (context prosody English) A poetic metre in which each line has four feet.

n. a verse line having four metrical feet

In poetry, a tetrameter is a line of four metrical feet. The particular foot can vary, as follows:

• Anapestic tetrameter:
  • "And the sheen of their spears was like stars on the sea" ( Lord Byron, " The Destruction of Sennacherib")
  • "Twas the night before Christmas when all through the house" (" A Visit from St. Nicholas")
• Iambic tetrameter:
  • "Because I could not stop for Death" ( Emily Dickinson, eponymous lyric)
• Trochaic tetrameter:
  • "Peter, Peter, pumpkin-eater" ( English nursery rhyme)
• Dactylic tetrameter:
  • Picture your self in a boat on a river with [...] ( The Beatles, " Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds")
• Spondaic tetrameter:
  • Long sounds move slow
• Pyrrhic tetrameter (with spondees ["white breast" and "dim sea"]):
  • And the white breast of the dim sea
• Amphibracic tetrameter:
  • And, speaking of birds, there's the Russian Palooski, / Whose headski is redski and belly is blueski. ( Dr. Seuss)