Where does “hexameter” come from?
Hexameter derives from Ancient Greek ἑξάμετρος, composed of Ancient Greek μέτρον meaning "measure" and the Ancient Greek suffix -τρον, tracing back through Proto-Hellenic -tron and Proto-Indo-European -trom and -tḗr.
hexameter (English): a line in a poem having six metrical feet; a...
Definitions
- a line in a poem having six metrical feet; a...
Ancestry of “hexameter”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Ancient Greek | ἑξάμετρος | Expressed in dactylic hexameter and the Epic... |
| 2 | Ancient Greek | μέτρον | something used to measure: measure, rule, weight;... |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | -τρον | Forms instrument nouns |
| 4 | Proto-Hellenic | -tron | Forms instrument nouns from verb stems |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | -trom | Forms nouns denoting a tool or instrument |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -tḗr | Derives agent nouns from verbs, denoting someone... |
Words derived from “hexameter”