iamb
noun /ˈaɪæm/, /ˈaɪæmb/
/ˈaɪæm/, /ˈaɪæmb/
(also iambus)
(specialist)- a unit of sound in poetry consisting of one weak or short syllable followed by one strong or long syllableTopics Literature and writingc2Word Originlate 16th cent.: Latin, from Greek iambos ‘iambus, lampoon’, from iaptein ‘attack verbally’ (because the iambic trimeter was first used by Greek satirists).