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[oceanhawk]

This is the only venue I have to rant about this...

Today's Dictionary.com word of the day is "iambic" and is said to mean "having two syllables". That hurts me so much. SO much. There's no point in going into it, really, so I guess this isn't really a rant, but still. Really dictionary.com? Really?

Comments

[ankledeepruins]

That confused me too. In Greek and Latin at least, an iamb is long/short long short long. Four syllables. Isn't what they're referring to an anapest or something? Not that meter is really my strong point.

[oceanhawk]

An anapest, consists of three syllables, like a dactyl, but I don't remember this stuff very well and I'm having trouble finding a good website that lists the different types of rhythmic patterns and meter measuring. Currently, (I dunno nothing about all that fancy Greek and Latin stuff) and iamb IS two syllables long, but it refers specifically to the pattern of emphasis on those two syllables, "dun/DUN'. The opposite of that is a trochee, which is also two syllables long, but you wouldn't go around saying that "trochee" simply means any word that has two syllables. I'm going to try to stop being a pretentious nerd (a nerd of the worst sort) now.

[ankledeepruins]

So is there a difference between an iambic foot and an iambic? Greek drama is generally written in iambic trimeter, which consists of three iambic feet. Each foot then contains two iambs. Weird.

[oceanhawk]

I dunno what the Greeks are doing...and maybe I"m wrong, but I mean, in iambic pentameter you have five iambic feet, each consisting of one iamb, and the whole line is ten syllables long (unless you MESS with it like certain famous English Bards I could mention). Where's like, Roger or Jackie or someone when you need them to set things straight?

[iscrescentmoon]

It hurts me, too.