It is a rhythm of accented and unaccented syllables arranged into feet.
Basic meters. Meter is definined by the number of alternating stressed and unstressed syllables in a line. Each sequence or group of two to three syllables in a line is called a foot. Meter is the rhythmic, recurring pattern of accented and unaccented syllables you hear in literature. It can be used in prose and plays, though it is most commonly found in poetry. Meter is a stressed and unstressed syllabic pattern in a verse or within the lines of a poem. Stressed syllables tend to be longer and unstressed shorter. In simple language, meter is a poetic device that serves as a linguistic sound pattern for the verses, as it gives poetry a rhythmical and melodious sound.  Iambic pentameter is a commonly used type of metrical line in traditional English poetry and verse drama. The term describes the rhythm that the words establish in that line, which is measured in small groups of syllables called  feet . Iambic pentameter is the most common meter in English poetry; it is used in many of the major English poetic forms, including blank verse, the heroic couplet, and some of the traditional rhymed stanza forms. William Shakespeare used iambic pentameter in his plays and sonnets. Definition of Meter Literary Term. The meter in poetry involves exact arrangements of syllables into repeated patterns called feet within a line. Meters are regularized rhythms. an arrangement of language in which the accents occur at apparently equal intervals in time. Each repeated unit of meter is called a foot. Definition of Poetry Poetry is piece of literature written by a poet in meter or verse expressing various emotions which are expressed by the use of variety of techniques including metaphors, similes and onomatopoeia. In poetry, metre (meter in American spelling) is the basic rhythmic structure of a verse or lines in verse. Many traditional verse forms prescribe a specific verse metre, or a certain set of metres alternating in a particular order.  English poetry employs five basic rhythms of varying stressed (/) and unstressed (x) syllables. The meters are iambs, trochees, spondees, anapests and dactyls. In this document the stressed syllables are marked in boldface type rather than the traditional / and x.. Each unit of rhythm is called a foot of poetry. The meters with two-syllable feet are. 1  IAMBIC (x /) : That time of year thou mayst in me be hold. 2  TROCHAIC (/ x): Tell me not in mourn ful num bers. 3  SPONDAIC (/ /): Break, break, break / On thy cold gray stones, O Sea ! English poetry employs five basic rhythms of varying stressed (/) and unstressed (x) syllables. The meters are iambs, trochees, spondees, anapests and dactyls. In this document the stressed syllables are marked in boldface type rather than the tradition al / and x.. Each unit of rhythm is called a foot of poetry. The meters with two-syllable feet are. 1  IAMBIC (x /) : That time of year thou mayst in me be hold. 2  TROCHAIC (/ x): Tell me not in mourn ful num bers. Meter is a unit of rhythm in poetry, the pattern of the beats. It is also called a foot. Each foot has a certain number of syllables in it, usually two or three syllables. The difference in types of meter is which syllables are accented and which are not.  Meter in poetry is what brings the poem to life and is the internal beat or rhythm with which it is read. Meter in poetry is a rhythm of accented and unaccented syllables arranged into feet. The most common is one soft foot and one hard foot and is called an Iamb. There are several kinds of meter, but most poetry uses a five-beat meter, with Iambic feet, called iambic pentameter. 
http://www.ehow.com/facts_6784807_definition-meter-literature.html http://literarydevices.net/meter/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iambic_pentameter http://www.poeticterminology.net/73-meter-literary-term.htm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meter_(poetry) http://www.english.emory.edu/classes/Handbook/meter.html http://www.writing.upenn.edu/~afilreis/88/meter.html http://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples-of-meter-in-poetry.html http://classroom.synonym.com/meter-poetry-2468.html
what is meter in literature