anacrusis

 
Pronunciation: /ˌanəˈkruːsɪs/

noun (plural anacruses /-siːz/)

  • 1 Prosody one or more unstressed syllables at the beginning of a verse.
  • 2 Music one or more unstressed notes before the first bar line of a piece or passage.

Origin:

mid 19th century: modern Latin, from Greek anakrousis 'prelude', from ana- 'up' + krousis, from krouein 'to strike'