Foot
Definition
In poetry, a foot is a unit of measurement that consists of one stressed syllable and one or more unstressed syllables. It helps determine the rhythm and meter of a poem.
Analogy
Think of a foot as a dance step. Just like different dance steps have different rhythms, feet in poetry have different patterns of stressed and unstressed syllables.
Related terms
Meter: The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of poetry.
Iambic Pentameter: A specific meter consisting of five iambs (unstressed-stressed) per line.
Trochee: A type of foot with one stressed syllable followed by one unstressed syllable.
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