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choreic four-measure

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 line of verse made of four choreic feet, producing a running rhythm

Detailed Definition
A choreic four-measure is a metrical unit comprising four choreic (or choriambic) feet—each foot typically structured as long-short-short-long (— ∪ ∪ —) in quantitative meter—creating a rhythmic pattern that alternates between expansive and contracting stresses; this form was used in classical Greek and Latin lyric poetry to evoke ceremonial or elevated tones.
Example
Example in poetry:
Choreic four-measure uses choreus (– ˘ ˘) foot repeated four times; rare in English but appears in light verse: “March on, little feet, through the rain and the snow”; classical Greek used choreic meter for marching songs; modern parodies employ choreic four-measure for comic effect; the form’s uneven stress creates bouncy rhythm; it appears in children’s poetry and nursery rhymes
Additional Notes
choreic four-measure|Refers to a line or verse unit composed of four choree (or trochaic) metrical units (trochaic tetrameter); a very common meter in Greek and Latin verse, related to the trochee.
Also Known As
trochaic dimeter choreic meter twin-foot trochee four-beat trochee line Choreic tetrameter
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