spondaic

Spondaic is an adjective relating to the spondee, a term used in poetry and prosody to describe a two-syllable unit with particular emphasis or length. In classical metrics, a spondee is a metrical foot consisting of two long syllables in quantitative verse, such as Greek and Latin poetry. Long syllables are typically indicated in textual notation by markings or by context in scanned verse, and spondees can occupy various positions within a line, sometimes replacing other feet for emphasis or pause.

In English prosody, the concept is adapted to a two-syllable unit that bears roughly equal stress, rather than a fixed long-short quantity. A truly spondaic foot is rare in regular English meter, where lines are usually built from a pattern of iambs, trochees, or other feet. Poets may employ spondaic substitutions—pairs of stressed syllables placed in succession—to add weight, force, or a momentary pause within a line. Such substitutions are valued for their dramatic or emphatic effect rather than as a standard metrical pattern.

Etymology traces the term to the Greek spondaios, related to heavy or weighty, reflecting the foot’s characteristic emphasis. In scholarly discussions, spondaic meter is often contrasted with other metrical feet to illustrate how poets create tempo, intensity, and cadence through patterns of syllable length (in classical languages) or stress (in English).

See also: spondee, prosody, meter, iambic, trochaic.