an·a·pest also an·a·paest ( n  -p st )n. 1. A metrical foot composed of two short syllables followed by one long one, as in the word seventeen. 2. A line of verse using this meter; for example, "'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house" (Clement Clarke Moore). [Latin anapaestus, from Greek anapaistos : ana-, ana- + paiein, pais-, to strike (so called because an anapest is a reversed dactyl); see pau-2 in Indo-European roots.] an a·pestic adj. |
anapaest, anapest [ˈænəpɛst -piːst]
n
(Literature / Poetry) Prosody a metrical foot of three syllables, the first two short, the last long (˘ ˘ ¯)
[via Latin from Greek anapaistos reversed (that is, a dactyl reversed), from anapaiein, from ana- back + paiein to strike]
anapaestic , anapestic adj
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
| Noun | 1. | anapaest - a metrical unit with unstressed-unstressed-stressed syllables metrical foot, metrical unit, foot - (prosody) a group of 2 or 3 syllables forming the basic unit of poetic rhythm |
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