In music and poetry, an upbeat or introductory note or syllable that comes before the main rhythmic pattern begins, or a preparatory gesture.
From Greek 'ana-' (up, back) + 'krousis' (a striking, a beating). Originally a musical term in ancient Greek theory describing the preliminary beat that launched a meter. The term also appears in prosody and rhetoric.
When you count '1-2-3' before starting a song, that counting is anakrousis—it's the preparatory beat that gets everyone synchronized, and orchestras have used this technique for thousands of years.
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