Dactyl

A dactyl is a metrical foot which consists of a stressed syllable followed by two unstressed syllables. This is the opposite of an anapest, which begins with two unstressed syllables and is followed by a stressed syllable.

The word dactyl means "finger," and this can provide a way of remembering what a dactyl is; each finger consists of one long bone followed by two short bones.

Some examples of dactylic words and phrases include:

Poetry
Wonderful
Happiness
Mediterranean
President Washington

See Also
Double-Dactyl
Anapests
Iambs

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