trochee

T1R1O1C3H4E1E1
/ˈtɹəʊki/US/ˈtɹoʊ.ki/

noun

A metrical foot in verse consisting of a stressed or heavy syllable followed by an unstressed or light syllable.

OriginFrench trochée ← Latin trochaeus ← Ancient Greek τροχαῖος →
Scrabble 12
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Meanings

nountrochee (plural trochees)

plural trochees · alternative abbreviation troch. · alternative archaic trocheus

  1. A metrical foot in verse consisting of a stressed or heavy syllable followed by an unstressed or light syllable.

    ‘He made us read James Fenton on the genius of the trochee.’

    2016, Ian McEwan, Nutshell, Vintage, page 152

Origin

  1. Ancient Greekτροχαῖος
  2. Latintrochaeus
  3. Frenchtrochée
  4. Englishtrochee

Borrowed from French trochée, via Latin trochaeus from the Ancient Greek τροχαῖος (trokhaîos), derived from τρέχω (trékhō, “run”).

More words from French, Latin, Ancient Greek

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Ancient Greek τροχαῖος
  • τροχαῖος (trokhaîos)a metrical foot
Catalan troqueu
  • troqueua metrical foot
Czech trochej
  • trocheja metrical foot
Danish trokæ
  • trokæa metrical foot
Dutch trochee, trocheus
  • trocheea metrical foot
  • trocheusa metrical foot
Esperanto troĥeo, trokeo
  • troĥeoa metrical foot
  • trokeoa metrical foot
Finnish trokee
  • trokeea metrical foot
French trochée
  • trochéea metrical foot
German Trochäus
  • Trochäusa metrical foot
Greek τροχαίος
  • τροχαίος (trochaíos)a metrical foot
Hungarian trocheus
  • trocheusa metrical foot
Irish trócae class m4
  • trócae class m4a metrical foot
Polish trochej
  • trocheja metrical foot
Portuguese troqueu, coreu
  • troqueua metrical foot
  • coreua metrical foot
Russian трохе́й, хоре́й
  • трохе́й (troxéj)a metrical foot
  • хоре́й (xoréj)a metrical foot
Spanish troqueo
  • troqueoa metrical foot
Swedish troké
  • trokéa metrical foot

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with trochee

smokysmokeyLokipokeytokihokeyfolkydokioakytrocheartichokeychokeycokeycroakyhokey cokeyhokey pokeylow-keyMoquisoakytteokbokki
All rhymes →

Sounds the same

troche
Cite this entry
APA

trochee. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/trochee

MLA

“trochee.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/trochee. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “trochee,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/trochee.

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