quadrisyllable

[ kwod-ruh-sil-uh-buhl ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

quad·ri·syl·lab·ic [kwod-r, uh, -si-, lab, -ik], quadri·syl·labi·cal adjective

First recorded in 1650–60; quadri- + syllable

Quadrisyllable, kwod-ri-sil′a-bl n. a word consisting of four syllables.

They are, in the way of metre, choriambics; and a choriambic is a quadrisyllable foot.

But Alexandrides lengthens the word into a quadrisyllable, and calls it .

Ovid admitted quadrisyllable endings more freely if they were proper names.

For Ovid's use of quadrisyllable endings for pentameters, see at ii 10 Alcinoo (p 164).

April 19, 2024tortuous

[tawr-choo-uhs ]

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