anacrusis

[ an-uh-kroo-sis ]

noun,plural an·a·cru·ses [an-uh-kroo-seez]. /ˌæn əˈkru siz/.
  1. Prosody. an unstressed syllable or syllable group that begins a line of verse but is not counted as part of the first foot.

  2. Music. the note or notes preceding a downbeat; upbeat.

Origin of anacrusis

1
1825–35; <Latin <Greek anákrousis, equivalent to anakroú(ein) to strike up, push back (ana-ana- + kroúein to strike, push) + -sis-sis

Other words from anacrusis

  • an·a·crus·tic [an-uh-kruhs-tik], /ˌæn əˈkrʌs tɪk/, adjective
  • an·a·crus·ti·cal·ly, adverb

Words Nearby anacrusis

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How to use anacrusis in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for anacrusis

anacrusis

/ (ˌænəˈkruːsɪs) /


nounplural -ses (-siːz)
  1. prosody one or more unstressed syllables at the beginning of a line of verse

  2. music

    • an unstressed note or group of notes immediately preceding the strong first beat of the first bar

    • another word for upbeat

Origin of anacrusis

1
C19: from Greek anakrousis prelude, from anakrouein to strike up, from ana- + krouein to strike

Derived forms of anacrusis

  • anacrustic (ˌænəˈkrʌstɪk), adjective

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