Archilochian
1 of 2adjective
Ar·chi·lo·chi·an
¦ärkə̇¦lōkēən
1
a
: of or relating to Archilochus
b
: trenchant, sarcastic, bitter
2
: marked by use of Archilochians or of Archilochian strophes
Archilochian
2 of 2noun
"
plural -s
: a verse form ascribed to Archilochus: such as
a
: a line composed of a dactylic tetrapody followed by a trochaic tripody
called also greater Archilochian
b
: a dactylic tripody catalectic —sometimes called also lesser Archilochian
c
: a dactylic tetrapody with spondee or trochee as the fourth foot
d
: a dicolon composed of a complete prosodiac followed by an ithyphallic
Word History
Etymology
Adjective
Archilochus, 7th century b.c. Greek poet (from Latin, from Greek Archilochos) + English -ian