rhizoverbBeta
DictionarypentameterFive-foot verse meter
noun

pentameter

pen-TAM-ih-ter/penˈtæmɪtər/

Verse meter with five metrical feet per line.

The marks show five metrical feet in a line of pentameter.

Close view of poetry scansion on one ivory card: exactly five separated groups of two beat marks, each group a small curved breve then one slash, arranged in one single horizontal line.
Etymology
pentaGreekfive
+meterGreekmeasure

The pieces mean “five measures,” with measure applied to poetic rhythm. In the selected sense, those measures are metrical feet: the line is counted by five rhythmic units.

In context

OSU School of Writing, Literature and Film1:56
This type of metrical foot is called an iamb and there are five of them here. Since “penta” is the prefix for five, we call this metrical form “iambic pentameter,”
"What is Meter in Poetry?": A Literary Guide for English Students and Teachers

More examples

  • She marked the five feet in each pentameter line.
  • The actor kept the rhythm of the pentameter clear.
  • One irregular beat interrupted the otherwise steady pentameter.

Forms

pentameter

Similar words

hexameter
Hexameter has six metrical feet per line; pentameter has five.
tetrameter
Tetrameter has four metrical feet per line; pentameter has five.