dactyl - Definitions from Dictionary.com

6 results for: dactyl

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

dac·tyl

Audio Help [dak-til] Pronunciation Key

–noun

1.	Prosody. a foot of three syllables, one long followed by two short in quantitative meter, or one stressed followed by two unstressed in accentual meter, as in gently and humanly. Symbol:

2.	a finger or toe.

[Origin: 1350–1400; ME < L dactylus < Gk dáktylos finger, a dactyl, referring to the three joints of the finger

]

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
dactyl

To learn more about dactyl visit Britannica.com

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

Dac·tyl

Audio Help [dak-til] Pronunciation Key

–noun, plural -tyls, -tyl·i

Audio Help [-ti-lahy] Pronunciation Key. Classical Mythology.

any of a number of beings dwelling on Mount Ida and working as metalworkers and magicians.

Also, Daktyl.

[Origin: < Gk Dáktyloi (Idaǐoi) (Idaean) craftsmen or wizards (pl. of dáktylos; see dactyl)

]

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

dac·tyl Audio Help (dāk'təl) Pronunciation Key
n.

A metrical foot consisting of one accented syllable followed by two unaccented or of one long syllable followed by two short, as in flattery.
A finger, toe, or similar part or structure; a digit.

[Middle English dactil, from Latin dactylus, from Greek daktulos, finger, dactyl.]

dac·tyl'ic (-tĭl'ĭk) adj. & n., dac·tyl'i·cal·ly adv.

(Download Now or Buy the Book)

Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
dactyl

1398, from Gk. dactylos "finger," of unknown origin; the metrical use (a long syllable followed by two short ones) is by analogy with the three joints of a finger.

WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

dactyl
noun
1.	a metrical unit with stressed-unstressed-unstressed syllables
2.	a finger or toe in human beings or corresponding body part in other vertebrates [syn: digit]

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Dactyl

Dac"tyl\, n. [L. dactylus, Gr. da`ktylos a finger, a dactyl. Cf. Digit.]

1. (Pros.) A poetical foot of three sylables (--- [crescent] [crescent]), one long followed by two short, or one accented followed by two unaccented; as, L. t["e]gm[i^]n[e^], E. mer\b6ciful; -- so called from the similarity of its arrangement to that of the joints of a finger. [Written also dactyle.]

2. (Zo["o]l.) (a) A finger or toe; a digit. (b) The claw or terminal joint of a leg of an insect or crustacean.

Browse Nearby Entries: