What does hexameter mean?
A hexameter is a line of verse made up of six metrical feet. Its best-known form is dactylic hexameter, the rhythm used extensively in ancient Greek and Latin epic poetry, including works traditionally attributed to Homer and Virgil. Each line moves through a sequence of dactyls and spondees, with a strong, measured cadence suited to narration, combat, and elevated subject matter. Although the term can refer more generally to any six-foot metrical line, it most often evokes the classical epic tradition. The word is consequently associated with learned literary study, classical education, and formal discussion of poetic structure. It can also be encountered in discussions of Latin, Greek, and later European verse that imitates or adapts the ancient form. For readers, “hexameter” is a useful term because it identifies both a precise metrical structure and the enduring rhythmic tradition that shaped some of the most influential poems in Western literature.
nounA line or passage of verse composed of six metrical feet. The term most often refers to the dactylic hexameter used extensively in ancient Greek and Latin epic poetry.
- A line of verse consisting of six metrical feet, especially the dactylic form used in ancient Greek and Latin epic poetry.
"The epic's opening speeches are written in commanding hexameter."
"The poet narrated the battle in a rapid sequence of hexameter."
"Latin epic was traditionally composed in hexameter."
The plural refers to individual six-foot lines or, collectively, to works or passages composed in this meter.
"The final hexameters of the poem conclude the narrator's appeal."
Six feet can carry the rhythm of an epic: Homer and Virgil made the dactylic hexameter the heartbeat of classical verse.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does hexameter come from?
The word comes through Latin from Greek, combining the element for “six” with a word meaning “measure.” Its development reflects the long history of six-foot verse in ancient Greek and Latin poetry. The same Greek roots underlie related words such as “hexagon” and “metre,” while the compound adjective “hexametric” describes verse using this metrical form.
Related word forms
How hexameter is actually used
This is primarily a formal literary and metrical term. In discussions of classical poetry, it usually means dactylic hexameter; British English also commonly uses the spelling “hexametre.”
Easily confused with hexameter
A hexameter has six metrical feet, whereas a pentameter has five.