trochaic
Stressed then unstressed
Trochaic describes a metrical pattern in poetry where stressed syllables alternate with unstressed ones, with the stress coming first: DUM-da, DUM-da.
The word *trochee* names a single such unit.
Trochaic meter gives the line a falling, drumbeat quality.
Much English verse is iambic (da-DUM), making trochaic poems feel distinctively urgent or chant-like.
Two-syllable metrical foot
- dactylFinger, toe, or verse foot
- anapestTrisyllabic metrical foot
- spondeeDouble-stress metrical unit
- pyrrhicWon at excessive cost
ionic · tetrameter · trimeter · pentameter · hexameter · dimeter · scansion · foot
iamb
Two-syllable metrical foot
pyrrhic · ionic · tetrameter · trimeter · pentameter · hexameter · dimeter · scansion · foot · metrical
stress
Pressure, mental or vocal
- unstressedWithout rhythmic emphasis
- beatRhythmic pulse or strike
- cadenceRhythmic pulse or pattern
rhythm · scansion · syllable · accent · falling · quantity · duration · thesis · colon · period
ballad
Narrative poem or song
- nursery rhymeTraditional poem for young children
- incantationSpoken magical formula
- chantRepetitive rhythmic phrase
folk song · spell · Hiawatha · couplet · stanza · refrain · chorus