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Glite Dictionary
metrical unit

metrical unit

7.5
A group of two or three syllables that makes the basic rhythm in a poem
  • noun
  • /ˈmɛtrɪkəl ˈjunɪt/
  • Literature
translation icon : unidad métrica
  • The metrical unit in this verse consists of three syllables, creating a rhythmic flow throughout the poem.

Examples

  • Understanding the metrical unit is essential for analyzing the poem's structure and its emotional impact.

  • In the poem, the author carefully crafted each line to emphasize the beauty of the metrical unit used.

  • All three worked in an oral tradition, and in Old English, the alliterative line, with its sharp mid-line caesura, is strikingly similar to the two hemistichs forming the qasida's basic metrical unit.

    Academic text (2010)

Synonyms

foot
vsmetrical unit
  • Literature
15 8.2

A group of two or three syllables that makes the rhythm in poetry

shares exact meaning but uses alternate phrasing
metrical foot
vsmetrical unit
  • Literature
8.1

A group of two or three syllables that makes the poem's basic rhythm

has identical meaning but is a different term in writing
metron
vsmetrical unit
  • Literature
9.9

A part of rhythm in poetry with a fixed pattern of beats

is similar but focuses on fixed patterns and classical verse

Surface Forms

metrical unit singular
metrical units plural

Morphology

metrical + unit

The meaning 'a group of syllables forming the basic unit of rhythm' is directly derivable from combining 'metrical' (relating to meter or rhythm) with 'unit' (a single component). This noun–noun composition follows normal compositional patterns and would be understandable to a B1 learner who already knows both constituent words.

Etymology

Metrical unit comes from the idea of a small, repeated part of rhythm: metrical means about a 'beat' and unit means a 'small building block'. Imagine a short, repeating step of two or three syllables; that's why a metrical unit is the basic group of syllables that makes a poem's 'rhythm'.