Meter & Rhythm
Hendecasyllable
From Greek hendeka: eleven. The hendecasyllable was the favourite metre of Catullus and Sappho; in English it underlies the sonnet when the line ends on an unstressed syllable.
Definition
A line of eleven syllables — the basis of Greek and Latin lyric metres and of iambic pentameter with a feminine ending.
Example
Catullus: 'Phasellus ille, quem videtis, hospites' — eleven syllables with a characteristic opening pattern.