In poetry, a meter or metre is the basic rhythmic structure of a verse or lines in verse). It imposes specific length and emphasis on a given line of poetry. The meter of most poetry of the Western world and elsewhere is based on patterns of syllables of particular types). There are two types of meter in poetry:

• Qualitative Meter: This is the familiar type of meter in English-language poetry, with stressed syllables coming at regular intervals. For example, in iambic pentameter, usually every even-numbered syllable is stressed).

• Quantitative Meter: This is built on patterns based on syllable weight rather than stress. For instance, in quantitative meter, a line is measured in accented/unaccented syllables, while rhythm is measured in beats.

In many Western classical poetic traditions, the meter of a verse can be described as a sequence of feet, each foot being a specific sequence of syllable types – such as relatively unstressed/stressed (the norm for English poetry) or long/short (as in most classical Latin and Greek poetry)). Some examples of meter in poetry include:

• Iambic Pentameter: This is the most common meter in English poetry, consisting of five iambs (an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable) per line.

• Trochaic Tetrameter: This consists of four trochees (a stressed syllable followed by an unstressed syllable) per line.

• Anapestic Trimeter: This consists of three anapests (two unstressed syllables followed by a stressed syllable) per line.

• Dactylic Hexameter: This consists of six dactyls (a stressed syllable followed by two unstressed syllables) per line, with a trochee replacing the last dactyl.

Not all poets accept the idea that meter is a fundamental part of poetry).