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Choliambic hexameter

Meter
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A limping or “scurrying” six-foot line, often ending with a spondee or trochee

Detailed Definition
Choliambic hexameter, or "limping iambic," is a satirical meter where the final iamb of a hexameter is replaced by a spondee, creating a halting rhythm; used by Hipponax and imitated by Catullus, it conveys mockery, grotesquerie, or moral outrage.
Example
Example in poetry:
Choliambic hexameter (limping iamb) ends with spondee: “Strike, but hear me!” (Greek original); English approximations appear in satirical verse (“This dull verse limps to its awkward end”); the meter’s stumble suits invective or self-mockery; choliambic hexameter was used by Hipponax for scurrilous themes; it contrasts with stately dactylic hexameter
Additional Notes
Six-foot line using choliambic (scazon) meter, with reversed final foot creating limping effect. Rare in English. Creates unexpected conclusion to otherwise flowing line. Related to scazon tradition.
Also Known As
Six-foot choliambic limping hexameter scazon hexameter choliambic six-measure
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