1. Plural of choliamb; a metrical line in classical poetry, typically iambic verse with a spondee or trochee substituted in the final foot, creating a limping or halting effect.
Usage: literary; classical prosody; also called scazon

Examples

• The poet employed choliambs to convey a sense of unease in the final lines of the poem.
• Ancient Greek dramatists used choliambs for comic or satirical effect.
• The metrical analysis revealed several choliambs scattered throughout the text.
• Choliambs create a deliberately awkward rhythm that disrupts the expected iambic pattern.
• Scholars debate the precise function of choliambs in Hipponax's surviving fragments.