Subscriber login


Forgot your password?

Library card login

Other

anapaest

Pronunciation: /ˈanəpiːst, -pɛst/

(US anapest)
Definition of anapaest

noun

Prosody
  • a metrical foot consisting of two short or unstressed syllables followed by one long or stressed syllable.

Derivatives

anapaestic

Pronunciation: /-ˈpiːstɪk, -ˈpɛstɪk/

adjective

Origin:

late 16th century: via Latin from Greek anapaistos 'reversed', from ana- 'back' + paiein 'strike' (because it is the reverse of a dactyl)

anapaest in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of anapaest in the US English dictionary

Nearby words

  |  Cite

More words in this category

Word of the day

merrythought

/ /
noun
the wishbone of a bird …