adjective
- Having more syllables or metrical feet than the standard or expected meter of a line of verse.
Usage: literary/prosody; also called 'catalectic' in some contexts
Examples
- The poet used a hypermetrical line to create an unexpected rhythmic effect.
- In classical verse, a hypermetrical foot can disrupt the established metrical pattern.
- The final line of the stanza was hypermetrical, adding an extra unstressed syllable.
- Scholars debated whether the hypermetrical ending was intentional or a scribal error.