Iamb

In phonology and in poetics, an iamb is a prosodic foot consisting of a weak syllable followed by a strong syllable.

Comments

In metrical phonology and prosodic phonology, the weak-strong pattern of an iamb is often contrasted with the strong-weak pattern of a trochee.

"Iambic pentameter" is a poetic meter in which each line consists of five iambs, as in most lines of William Shakespeare's plays:

[But soft], [what light] [though yon][der win][dow breaks]?

Other languages

German Iambus