Dactylic

/dæk-TIL-ik/ adjective

Definition

Written in or composed of dactylic meter, the poetic rhythm with one stressed syllable followed by two unstressed syllables.

Etymology

From dactyl + -ic (adjective suffix). This became the standard English adjective form for describing verse that follows the finger-like three-beat pattern.

Kelly Says

Dactylic hexameter is how the ancient Greeks and Romans wrote their epics—the rhythm of 'Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily' became the sound of thousands of years of literature!

Related Words

Explore More Words

Get the Word Orb API

Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.