1. (n.) A verse of six feet, the first four of which may be either dactyls or spondees, the fifth must regularly be a dactyl, and the sixth always a spondee. In this species of verse are composed the Iliad of Homer and the Aeneid of Virgil. In English hexameters accent takes the place of quantity.

2. (a.) Having six metrical feet, especially dactyls and spondees.

Alexandrine accent mark accents accentuate accentuation amphibrach amphimacer anacrusis anapest antispast arsis articulation bacchius bar beat belabor broad accent brogue burr cadence caesura cancel catalexis character chatter chloriamb chloriambus colon comment concern concernment consequence consequentiality consideration conversation counterpoint cretic custos dactyl dactylic hexameter diacritical mark diaeresis dimeter dipody direct discourse distinguish dochmiac dot drawl dwell on elegiac elegiac couplet elegiac pentameter elocution emphasis emphasize epitrite excellence expression mark feminine caesura fermata foot force gab give emphasis to grammatical accent harp on heptameter heptapody heroic couplet hexameter hexapody high order high rank highlight hold iamb iambic iambic pentameter ictus import importance inflection intensity interest intonation intonation pattern ionic italicize jingle key signature language lead level of stress ligature lilt mark masculine caesura materiality measure merit meter metrical accent metrical foot metrical group metrical unit metrics metron metronomic mark molossus moment mora movement notation note numbers oral communication overaccentuate overemphasize overstress paeon palaver paramountcy parole pause pentameter pentapody period pitch accent place emphasis on point up prattle precedence preeminence presa primacy primary stress priority proceleusmatic prominence pronunciation prosodics prosody pulsation pulse punctuate pyrrhic quantity rapping regional accent rhetorical accent rhythm rhythmic pattern rhythmical accent rhythmical stress rub in secondary stress segno self-importance set apart set off sign signature significance slur speaking speech spondee spotlight sprung rhythm star stress stress accent stress arsis stress pattern superiority supremacy swell swing symbol syzygy talk talking tempo mark tertiary stress tetrameter tetrapody tetraseme thesis throb tie time signature tone tone accent tribrach trimeter tripody triseme trochee twang underline underscore value vinculum weak stress weight words worth yakkety-yak yakking