æm, ˈaɪBased on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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iamb or iambus (ˈaɪæm, ˈaɪæmb, aɪˈæmbəs) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n , pl iambs, iambi, iambuses | |
| 1. | a metrical foot consisting of two syllables, a short one followed by a long one (⏓) |
| 2. | a line of verse of such feet |
| [C19 iamb, from C16 iambus, from Latin, from Greek iambos] | |
| iambus or iambus (ˈaɪæm, ˈaɪæmb, aɪˈæmbəs, aɪˈæmbaɪ) | |
| —n | |
| [C19 iamb, from C16 iambus, from Latin, from Greek iambos] | |
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| an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle. |
| a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare. |
iamb
metrical foot consisting of one short syllable (as in classical verse) or one unstressed syllable (as in English verse) followed by one long or stressed syllable, as in the word be|cause . Considered by the ancient Greeks to approximate the natural rhythm of speech, iambic metres were used extensively for dramatic dialogue, invective, satire, and fables. Also suited to the cadence of the English language, iambic rhythms, especially iambic tetrameter and pentameter, are the preeminent metres of English verse. Substitution of other types of feet to add variety is common in basically iambic verse. An example of iambic metre is the English ballad, composed of quatrains written in alternating lines of iambic tetrameter and iambic trimeter. For example:
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