amphibrach
[am-fuh-brak]
- a trisyllabic foot, the arrangement of the syllables of which is short, long, short in quantitative meter, or unstressed, stressed, unstressed in accentual meter. Thus, together is an accentual amphibrach.
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Origin of amphibrach
1580–90; < Latin amphibrachus < Greek amphíbrachys short before and after (amphi- amphi- + brachýs short); cf. amphimacer
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for amphibrach
Historical Examples
Similarly, such a word as alighted, in which a strong syllable is situated between two weak ones, may be called an 'amphibrach.'
The amphibrach plays a highly important part in English verse, though it is usual not to mention it at all.
Similarly, the symbol means a trochee; and the symbol means an amphibrach.
The Amphibrach is a foot of three syllables, the first and third short, and the second long.
Dissertation on the English LanguageNoah Webster, Jr.
But these lines are of the high burlesque kind, and in this stile the Amphibrach closes lines with great beauty.
Dissertation on the English LanguageNoah Webster, Jr.
amphibrach
- prosody a metrical foot consisting of a long syllable between two short syllables (◡ – ◡)Compare cretic
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Word Origin
C16: from Latin, from Greek amphibrakhus, literally: both ends being short, from amphi- + brakhus short
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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Word Origin and History for amphibrach
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper