Home › Glossary › Letter R

Reduced trimeter

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

Reduced trimeter is a three-foot line shortened by omitting syllables or feet, often for dramatic emphasis, rhythmic variation, or archaic effect.

Detailed Definition
Reduced trimeter is a metrical line containing fewer than the standard three metrical feet, often achieved through elision, contraction, or omission; this compression intensifies rhythm, creates tension against expectation, or mirrors themes of scarcity, fragmentation, or emotional restraint within the poem.
Example
Example in poetry:
A line of verse (three metrical feet) where one or more feet are truncated, or where a syllable is missing at the start or end of the line; A line that is meant to be three feet but has been shortened by the omission of a weak syllable, such as using three trochees instead of three iambs; A trimeter line with a missing final unstressed syllable (catalexis); A short line used to create a momentary sense of tension or abruptness
Additional Notes
A line of poetry constructed with three metrical feet (trimeter) but with one or more unstressed syllables intentionally omitted, making the line feel brisk, terse, or clipped; a light catalexis.
Also Known As
Shortened trimeter diminished three-foot line reduced verse measure Iambic trimeter catalectic Trimeter catalectic
Skip to main content