Alexandrines

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A type of poetic meter characterized by lines of twelve syllables, typically used in French verse
2. A form of verse known for its rhythmic pattern and often employed in classical literature
3. A classical metrical line that consists of six feet, often creating a melodious and formal structure in poetry

Etymology: The line gets its name from a hero rather than a poet. Medieval French writers composed long narrative poems about Alexander the Great, and one of them, the "Roman d'Alexandre", dates to around 1177. Its verses were written in lines of twelve syllables, and that metre became so strongly associated with the poem that readers began calling the line itself after Alexander. The name then spread from the Old French poems into the wider vocabulary of verse. Middle French formed the adjective "alexandrin" from the hero's name, and the noun "alexandrin" came to mean the twelve-syllable line, which is the form English later borrowed. The plural in English is simply the regular "-s" ending added to that noun. The metre travelled with the name, turning up in French classical drama and in English verse as a long, stately line. The name records a single poem's influence on a whole poetic tradition.