Quantitative meter is a metrical system based not on patterns of stressed and unstressed syllables (as in English accentual-syllabic verse) but on the duration or length of syllables—specifically, whether they are long (—) or short (u). Originating in classical Greek and Latin poetry, quantitative meter governs forms such as dactylic hexameter and elegiac couplets, where each metrical foot is defined by fixed arrangements of long and short syllables. In Latin, vowel length is phonemic and often indicated by diacritics or context; in Greek, it is determined by vowel quality and position. Though English lacks inherent syllable length distinctions, some poets—like Milton in his Latin compositions or modern experimentalists—have attempted quantitative adaptations using vowel duration, consonant clusters, or rhythmic pacing. Understanding quantitative meter is essential for appreciating classical poetics and for recognizing how later poets have reimagined temporal rhythm as a structural principle beyond stress-based prosody.

Meter based on syllable length (long vs. short) rather than stress. Fundamental to Greek and Latin verse. Compare with accentual meter. Study classical prosody rules.