Where does “iambic” come from?

Iambic comes from Middle French ïambique, from Late Latin iambicus, from Ancient Greek ἰαμβικός, ultimately deriving from the Proto-Indo-European suffix -kos through Ancient Greek -ικός and -κός.

iambic (English): Consisting of iambs or characterized by their...

Definitions

  1. Consisting of iambs or characterized by their...

Ancestry of “iambic”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchïambiqueiambic
2Latiniambicuswriter of iambic verse
3Ancient Greekἰαμβικός—
4Ancient Greekἴαμβοςiamb, a metrical foot; iambic verse or poem;...
5Ancient Greekἰάπτωto send forth, drive on, shoot; to rush, hurry

Words derived from “iambic”

Every word from Ancient Greek ἰάπτω →Every word from Ancient Greek ἴαμβος →Every word from Ancient Greek ἰαμβικός →