1. Lines of verse containing twelve syllables, typically used in French and English poetry.
Usage: plural form; literary/poetic term; also called iambic hexameter in English

Examples

• The alexandrines in this French poem create a formal, classical rhythm.
• Many 17th-century English poets experimented with alexandrines to match French verse forms.
• The playwright used alexandrines to give the dialogue a dignified, measured tone.
• Alexandrines are less common in modern English poetry than in classical French literature.
• The translator chose alexandrines to preserve the metrical structure of the original work.