I*am"bic (?), a. [L. iambicus, Gr. &?;: cf. F. iambique.] 1. (Pros.)
Consisting of a short syllable followed by a long one, or of an
unaccented syllable followed by an accented; as, an iambic foot.
2. Pertaining to, or composed of, iambics; as, an iambic verse; iambic
meter. See Lambus.
I*am"bic, n. 1. (Pros.) (a) An iambic foot; an iambus. (b) A verse
composed of iambic feet.
The following couplet consists of iambic verses.
Thy gen- | ius calls | thee not | to pur- | chase fame In keen |
iam- | bics, but | mild an- | agram.
Dryden.
2. A satirical poem (such poems having been anciently written in iambic
verse); a satire; a lampoon.