tetrameter

te·tra·me·ter
T1E1T1R1A1M3E1T1E1R1

noun

A line in a poem having four metrical feet.

OriginEnglish meter ← Middle English metere ← Old English metan →
Scrabble 12
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Meanings

nountetrameter (countable and uncountable, plural tetrameters)

plural tetrameters · alternative tetrametre

  1. countableuncountablecommunicationsA line in a poem having four metrical feet.
  2. countableuncountablehuman sciencesA poetic metre in which each line has four feet.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*kʷetwóres
  2. Proto-Hellenic*kʷétwores
  3. Ancient Greekτέσσᾰρες (téssăres)
  4. Ancient Greekτετρᾰ- (tetră-)
  5. Englishtetra-
  6. Proto-Indo-European*med-
  7. Proto-Indo-European*médeti
  8. Proto-Germanic*metaną
  9. Proto-West Germanic*metan
  10. Old Englishmetan
  11. Middle Englishmeten
  12. Middle Englishmetere
  13. Englishmeter
  14. Englishtetrameter

From tetra- + meter.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Catalan tetrámetro
  • tetrámetroa line in a poem having four metrical feet (poetry)
Danish tetrameter
  • tetrametera line in a poem having four metrical feet (poetry)
Finnish tetrametri
  • tetrametria line in a poem having four metrical feet (poetry)
French tétramètre
  • tétramètrea line in a poem having four metrical feet (poetry)
German Tetrameter
  • Tetrametera line in a poem having four metrical feet (poetry)
Greek τετράμετρο
  • τετράμετρο (tetrámetro)a line in a poem having four metrical feet (poetry)
Portuguese tetrâmetro
  • tetrâmetroa line in a poem having four metrical feet (poetry)
Romanian tetrametru
  • tetrametrua line in a poem having four metrical feet (poetry)
Russian тетра́метр
  • тетра́метр (tetrámetr)a line in a poem having four metrical feet (poetry)
Spanish tetrámetro
  • tetrámetroa line in a poem having four metrical feet (poetry)
Swedish tetrameter
  • tetrametera line in a poem having four metrical feet (poetry)
Vietnamese câu thơ tứ bộ vi
  • câu thơ tứ bộ via line in a poem having four metrical feet (poetry)
Cite this entry
APA

tetrameter. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tetrameter

MLA

“tetrameter.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tetrameter. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “tetrameter,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tetrameter.

Source: tetrameter on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.