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anapest

 - 4 dictionary results

an⋅a⋅pest

  [an-uh-pest]
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–noun Prosody.
a foot of three syllables, two short followed by one long in quantitative meter, and two unstressed followed by one stressed in accentual meter, as in for the nonce.
Also, an⋅a⋅paest.

Origin:
1580–90; < L anapaestus < Gk anápaistos struck back, reversed (as compared with a dactyl), equiv. to ana- ana- + pais- (var. s. of paíein to strike) + -tos ptp. suffix

Related forms:
an⋅a⋅pes⋅tic, an⋅a⋅paes⋅tic, adjective
an⋅a⋅pes⋅ti⋅cal⋅ly, an⋅a⋅paes⋅ti⋅cal⋅ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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an·a·pest also an·a·paest   (ān'ə-pěst')   
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·pes'tic adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

anapest 
1678, "two short syllables followed by a long one," from L. anapestus, from Gk. anapaistos "struck back, rebounding," verbal adj. from anapaiein "to strike back," from ana- "back" + paiein "to strike," so called because it reverses the dactyl.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Encyclopedia

anapest

metrical foot consisting of two short or unstressed syllables followed by one long or stressed syllable. First found in early Spartan marching songs, anapestic metres were widely used in Greek and Latin dramatic verse, especially for the entrance and exit of the chorus. Lines composed primarily of anapestic feet, often with an additional unstressed syllable at the end of the first line, are much rarer in English verse. Because of its jog-trot rhythm, pure anapestic metre was originally used only in light or popular English verse, but after the 18th century it appeared in serious poetry. Byron used it effectively to convey a sense of excitement and galloping in "The Destruction of Sennacherib":

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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