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Five-foot choliambic complete

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 complete five-foot choliambic (limping iambic) line, featuring a spondaic substitution in the final foot.

Detailed Definition
Five-foot choliambic complete refers to a six-syllable choliambic line (a spondee replacing the final iamb in an iambic trimeter) extended to five full metrical units, creating a deliberately limping or halting rhythm that mimics stumbling or ironic deflation; this rare and complex meter, rooted in classical satire, uses its irregularity to underscore moral critique or human frailty through rhythmic disruption.
Example
Example in poetry:
Five-foot choliambic complete uses a metrical foot of short-long-short with a final variation; Choliambic is a limping iamb with a spondee substitution; Example: “Come and see the wounded knight” (with stress on “woun-ded”); “Rise, O soul, from dust and shame” demonstrates the rhythm
Additional Notes
A Five-foot choliambic complete line is a metrical line composed of five choliambic feet, where the choliamb (also called a 'limping' or 'scazontic' iambus) has a heavy final foot, substituting a spondee (––) or trochee (–⌣) for the expected iamb (⌣–); the line has five full feet, creating a deliberate, halting rhythm.
Also Known As
Complete five-foot choliambic Limping pentameter Full choliambic meter Choliambic pentameter acatalectic
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