Home › Glossary › Letter E

Extended hexameter

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 line longer than standard hexameter, often with additional syllables or substitutions

Detailed Definition
An extended hexameter is a classical six-foot line stretched beyond its usual length by adding syllables or modifying rhythm, altering traditional balance. This expansion can create emphasis or grandeur but risks disrupting the expected cadence, requiring skill to maintain musicality.
Example
Example in poetry:
Classical dactylic hexameter in Homer’s “Iliad”; Virgil’s “Aeneid” extends hexameter for Roman epic; Longfellow’s “Evangeline” uses dactylic hexameter in English; Derek Walcott’s “Omeros” adapts hexameter for Caribbean epic; Annie Finch’s translations of Sappho use quantitative hexameter; contemporary poets like Rachel Hadas use extended hexameter for meditative verse.
Additional Notes
Extended hexameter adds syllables or feet beyond classical six-foot length. Related to hyperextended six-foot and surplus-syllable hexameter. Rare in English—often signals mock-heroic tone or emotional overflow; scan for caesurae managing its length.
Also Known As
Prolonged hexameter Extended heroic line Stretched meter Hexameter hypercatalectic hypermetrical hexameter
Skip to main content