Definition of meter

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me·ter¹    (mtr) KEY 

NOUN:

1. 1. The measured arrangement of words in poetry, as by accentual rhythm, syllabic quantity, or the number of syllables in a line.
   2. A particular arrangement of words in poetry, such as iambic pentameter, determined by the kind and number of metrical units in a line.
   3. The rhythmic pattern of a stanza, determined by the kind and number of lines.
2. Music
   1. Division into measures or bars.
   2. A specific rhythm determined by the number of beats and the time value assigned to each note in a measure.

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ETYMOLOGY:
Middle English, from Old English meter, and from Old French metre both from Latin metrum, from Greek metron, measure, poetic meter; see m-² in Indo-European roots