noun
- a line of verse consisting of six metrical feet, especially the dactylic hexameter used in ancient Greek and Latin epic poetry
Usage: poetry; classical literature
Examples
- Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey were written in dactylic hexameter.
- Virgil’s Aeneid follows the traditional hexameter pattern of Latin epic poetry.
- The poet struggled to maintain the strict rhythm of hexameter throughout the verse.
- Students of classical literature must learn to scan hexameter lines properly.
- Each hexameter line contains six metrical units called feet.
- The hexameter was the standard meter for epic poems in ancient times.