hendecasyllable
/ˌhɛndɪkəˈsɪləbl/
hendecasyllable means A line, verse, or word that comprises eleven syllables.
hendecasyllable is pronounced /ˌhɛndɪkəˈsɪləbl/.
Why “hendecasyllable” is a great word
A line, verse, or word comprising exactly eleven syllables. From Latin hendecasyllabus, from Ancient Greek ἑνδεκασύλλαβος (hendekasúllabos), from ἕνδεκα (héndeka, "eleven") + συλλαβή (syllabḗ, "syllable"). Unlike decasyllable, which locks verse to ten syllables, or pentameter, which measures by feet and permits syllabic variation, hendecasyllable insists on the precision of a single integer, eleven, regardless of scansion. It is the rolling, cadent rhythm of Italian sonnets, the deliberate asymmetry of a line that refuses the comfort of even numbers, and the quiet insistence of a count felt in the pulse rather than seen in the meter—a linguistic heartbeat just long enough to linger, but not quite enough to resolve.
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin hendecasyllabus, from Ancient Greek ἑνδεκασύλλαβος (hendekasúllabos); equivalent to hendeca- + syllable.
noun
- A line, verse, or word that comprises eleven syllables.
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.