Anapestic

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˌæ.nəˈpiː.stɪk/

Definitions

1. A metrical pattern in poetry consisting of two unstressed syllables followed by one stressed syllable
2. A poetic rhythm characterized by two light syllables followed by a heavy syllable is known as a distinctive metric form
3. This refers to a meter in verse where two syllables are unstressed and are succeeded by one stressed syllable

Etymology: The metrical foot "anapest" is itself a reversal of a cousin word: the Greek "anapaistos" meant "struck back," the reverse of the "dactyl," which is a stressed syllable followed by two unstressed ones. The "anapest" pattern simply turns that backward: two light syllables followed by a stress, as in the rhythm of "understand" or the galloping lines of many light verses. The ancient Greek term was built from "ana," meaning "back" or "up," and "paiein," meaning "to strike," a name that describes the stress landing at the end of the group, as if the foot were struck back at the listener. The adjective "anapestic" comes from the Latin "anapaesticus," which was itself borrowed from Greek. In English it is formed by adding the suffix "-ic," meaning "having the character of" or "relating to," to the noun "anapest." The adjective therefore describes anything that has this two-light, one-stressed shape, whether a single line, a whole poem, or a stanza.

Synonyms: unstressed, metrical, rhythmic, poetic, syllabic

Antonyms: dactylic, iambic, monosyllabic, syllable-heavy, staccato