anapest

or an·a·paest

[ an-uh-pest ]

nounProsody.
  1. 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.

Origin of anapest

1
1580–90; <Latin anapaestus<Greek anápaistos struck back, reversed (as compared with a dactyl), equivalent to ana-ana- + pais- (variant stem of paíein to strike) + -tos past participle suffix

Other words from anapest

  • 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 Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use anapest in a sentence