in ancient poetry, a sort of verse, so called from its consisting either wholly, or in great part, of iambus's. See IAMBUS.

Ruddiman makes two kinds of iambic, viz. dimeter and trimeter; the former containing four feet, and the latter six. And as to the variety of their feet, they confist wholly of iambus's, as in the two following ver- ses of Horace:

Dim. Inar[fit a]flu[flus] Trim. Sui[& i]psa Ro[ma] vi[ribus]ruit.

Or, a dactylus, lpondeus, anaepetus, and sometimes tribrachys, obtain in the odd places; and the tri- brachys also in the even places, excepting the last. Examples of all which may be seen in Horace; as,

Diameter.

Canidi[a tral]avoi[dap]es Vide[re prope]rantes domum

Trimeter.

Quò què[sce]fi ru[iti]quì cur dex[teris]. Prin[gue ca]lam[fi]let in fer[ius]mari. Alit[i bus ai]que can[i]bus homicid'H[bor]em. Pavidum[que lepo]r' aut advenam laque[gruem].