Metríska

Metríska is an adjective used in several Baltic and Nordic languages to denote something related to a metric or metre. Its exact meaning depends on domain and language, but it is commonly applied in mathematical and literary contexts to indicate a relationship to measurement, distance, or rhythmic structure.

In mathematics, metríska describes concepts that involve a metric, i.e., a distance function that defines a metric space. The term appears in translated or adapted texts to refer to metric properties, metric spaces, and related ideas, though the precise wording varies by language.

In poetics and linguistics, metríska pertains to meter and the rhythmic organization of verse. It concerns the arrangement of stressed and unstressed syllables, line length, and the patterns of feet that form the cadence of a poem or linguistic utterance. Analyses often discuss metrical feet, verse schemes, and prosodic structure under this label.

Etymology traces metríska to the Greek metron meaning measure, via Latin metricus, with subsequent adaptation in various European languages. The accent and exact form reflect language-specific stress patterns and orthography.

See also: metric, metrical, metric space, prosody, metre, metrology.