octosyllabe

An octosyllable (French: octosyllabe) is a line of verse consisting of eight syllables. The term is widely used in prosody to describe this specific line length, which has been a staple in the rhythmic fabric of several languages, most notably French.

In French poetry, the octosyllable has a long and varied history. It is commonly found in narrative and lyric verse from the medieval period onward, including genres such as chansons de geste, romances, and fabliaux. Its brisk, oral cadence made it well suited to storytelling and song. Because French syllable counting relies on pronunciation rather than written letters, elisions and liaison can affect the actual count; a line counted as eight syllables in one reading may differ in another.

Rhythmic flexibility accompanies the eight-syllable line. Poets may introduce pauses (caesuras) after the fourth syllable, or employ feminine endings, to vary emphasis while keeping the overall total at eight syllables. This combination of regularity and adaptability helps octosyllables convey both narrative momentum and lyrical nuance.

Outside French literature, octosyllabic lines appear in other languages as well, most often in ballad, lyric, or translated verse. In English, octosyllables occur in older ballad traditions and certain forms of verse that favor eight-syllable lines, described more as a descriptive feature than a fixed formal rule.

See also: decasyllable, alexandrine, hendecasyllable.