Home › Glossary › Letter D

double choriamb

Meter
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

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 metrical unit formed by two consecutive choriambs (˘ – – ˘ ˘ – – ˘), creating a complex, syncopated rhythm used in classical lyric.

Detailed Definition
A double choriamb is a metrical foot or line segment consisting of two choriambic units (long-short-short-long in quantitative meter), creating a symmetrical, wave-like rhythm; used in Pindaric odes and adapted in English accentual-syllabic verse, it conveys grandeur and balance, ideal for ceremonial or elevated lyrical expression.
Example
Example in poetry:
The double choriamb (— ∪ ∪ — — ∪ ∪ —) appears in Pindaric odes; Horace uses double choriamb in “Odes” for stately rhythm; Swinburne imitates Greek double choriamb in “Atalanta in Calydon”; Double choriamb appears in Renaissance Latin poetry for ceremonial effect; Contemporary poet A.E. Stallings revives double choriamb in formalist verse.
Additional Notes
double choriamb: A metrical line composed of two choriambs (/   /), resulting in a foot sequence of /   /  /   /. Context: A complex, often musical classical meter.
Also Known As
Twin choriamb paired choriamb twofold choriamb Choriambic dimeter
Skip to main content