nounWord forms: pluraliambs, iambi (aɪˈæmbaɪ) or iambuses prosody
1.
a metrical foot consisting of two syllables, a short one followed by a long one (◡ –)
2.
a line of verse of such feet
Word origin
C19 iamb, from C16 iambus, from Latin, from Greek iambos
iamb in American English
(ˈaɪˌæmb; aɪˌæm)
noun
a metrical foot consisting, in Greek and Latin verse, of one short syllable followed by one long one, or, as in English verse, of one unaccented syllable followed by one accented one (Ex.: “Tŏ stríve, tŏ séek, tŏ fínd, ănd nót tŏ yíeld”)