Anapest

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A metrical foot consisting of two short or unstressed syllables followed by one long or stressed syllable is known as this poetic device
2. This term refers to a rhythmic unit in poetry characterized by a pattern of two unstressed syllables followed by a stressed one
3. In verse, this specific foot is identified by its structure of two weak syllables followed by a strong syllable, creating a notable rhythmic effect

Etymology: The anapest is a metrical foot that reverses the dactyl: where a dactyl runs stressed-unstressed-unstressed, the anapest runs unstressed-unstressed-stressed, as in "understand." The Greek name "anapaistos" means "struck back," built from "ana," meaning "back," and "paiein," meaning "to strike." The metaphor is one of rhythm as beating: the dactyl strikes down on its first syllable, and the anapest answers by striking back up at the end of its run. The word reached English through Latin "anapaestus," and the Oxford English Dictionary records the English form "anapæst" in its entries. The spelling settled into the familiar "anapest" in modern usage, though the older form survives in print.