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In poetic metre, a trochee ( ) is a metrical foot consisting of a stressed syllable followed by an unstressed one, in qualitative meter, as found in English, and in modern linguistics; or in quantitative meter, as found in Latin and Ancient Greek, a heavy syllable followed by a light one (also described as a long syllable followed by a short one). In this respect, a trochee is the reverse of an iamb. Thus the Latin word , because of its short-long rhythm, in Latin metrical studies is considered to be an iamb, but since it is stressed on the first syllable, in modern linguistics it is considered to be a trochee.
The adjective form is trochaic. The English word trochee is itself trochaic since it is composed of the stressed syllable followed by the unstressed syllable .
Another name formerly used for a trochee was a choree ( ) or choreus.
There was a well-established ancient tradition that trochaic rhythm is faster than iambic.A.M. Devine, Laurence Stephens, The Prosody of Greek Speech, p. 116. When used in drama it is often associated with lively situations. One ancient commentator notes that it was named from the metaphor of people running (ἐκ μεταφορᾶς τῶν τρεχόντων) and the Roman metrician notes that it was named from its running and speed (dictus a cursu et celeritate).
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare. London: Abbey Library/Cresta House, 1977.
Perhaps owing to its simplicity, though, trochaic meter is fairly common in nursery rhymes:
Trochaic verse is also well known in Latin poetry, especially of the medieval period. Since the stress never falls on the final syllable in Medieval Latin, the language is ideal for trochaic verse. The dies irae of the Requiem mass is an example:
The Finnish national epic, , like much old Finnish poetry, is written in a variation of trochaic tetrameter.
Trochaic metre is popular in Polish and Czech literatures., , , Mladá fronta, Prague 1997, p. 339–340 . 's poem Edison is written in trochaic hexameter., , Język Polski, 1-2/2001, p. 51 .
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