Unmetred

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Not divided into or governed by fixed poetic meter or rhythmic measure ; lacking any limit on amount, extent, or quantity
2. Free from the rhythmic pattern of verse ; unrestricted and unlimited in size, degree, or measure
3. Lacking a regular metrical beat in poetry or music ; having no fixed boundary or restriction on how much there is

Etymology: "Unmetred" is formed from the prefix "un-", meaning "not", attached to "metred," the past participle of the verb "metre" (also spelled "meter" in American usage), which means to measure or to arrange in regular rhythmic units. The verb itself comes from the noun "metre," borrowed into English from Old French "metre," which goes back to Latin "metrum" and Greek "metron," meaning "measure." In Greek, the word applied to measure in the broadest sense, from length to quantity, and only later came to mean the measured beat of verse. The "un-" prefix is the ordinary English negating prefix, found on countless adjectives such as "unbroken" or "unmoved." Attaching it to "metred" produces a word meaning, quite literally, not divided into measured units. The idea is that a line of poetry, or a passage of speech, lacks the regular pattern of stresses and syllables that a poet would count out in feet.

Synonyms: unmeasured

Antonyms: metered