0 the type of hexameter (= a line or rhythm in poetry with six stressed syllables) used in ancient Greek poetry, that usually consists of five dactyls and either a spondee or trochee:
The poem is divided into 17 books and is composed in dactylic hexameter.
Epic poem, eh? Soon he'll be telling us about the boring dactylic hexameters in which it's written.
While I slept, I dreamt in Latin, and the dactylic hexameter kept pounding away in my brain.
Some patterns (such as iambic pentameter) tend to be fairly regular, while other patterns, such as dactylic hexameter, tend to be highly irregular.