/ aɪˈæmbəs; NAmE / noun
( pl. iambi / -baɪ; NAmE / iam·buses ) (also iamb / ˈaɪæm; NAmE ; ˈaɪæmb/) ( technical ) a unit of sound in poetry consisting of one weak or short syllable followed by one strong or long syllable
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WORD ORIGIN
late 16th cent.: Latin , from Greek iambos iambus, lampoon, from iaptein attack verbally (because the iambic trimeter was first used by Greek satirists).