arsis

[ ahr-sis ]

/ ˈɑr sɪs /

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noun, plural ar·ses

[ahr-seez]. /ˈɑr siz/.

Music. the upward stroke in conducting; upbeat.Compare thesis (def. 4).

Prosody.

the part of a metrical foot that bears the ictus or stress.
(less commonly) a part of a metrical foot that does not bear the ictus.Compare thesis (def. 5).

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of arsis

1350–1400; Middle English: raising the voice <Latin <Greek, equivalent to ar- (stem of aírein to raise, lift) + -sis-sis

Words nearby arsis

ars gratia artis, arshin, arsine, arsino, arsino group, arsis, ars longa, vita brevis, ARSM, Ars Nova, arson, arsonist

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use arsis in a sentence

Of the whole number, nine begin on the full bar, eleven on the arsis.
The Central Eskimo|Franz Boas
They exhibited a more or less regular alternation of arsis and thesis.
English Verse|Raymond MacDonald Alden, Ph.D.
When however it does occur, one of the three conditions under which a final syllable can take an arsis must accompany it.
The English Language|Robert Gordon Latham
The syllable which receives the ictus is called the thesis; the rest of the foot is called the arsis.
New Latin Grammar|Charles E. Bennett

At last, Carbo sent a large body of cavalry against Pompey, near the river Arsis.
The Boys' and Girls' Plutarch|Plutarch

British Dictionary definitions for arsis

arsis

/ (ˈɑːsɪs) /

noun plural -ses (-siːz)

(in classical prosody) the long syllable or part on which the ictus falls in a metrical footCompare thesis (def. 6)

Word Origin for arsis

C18: via Late Latin from Greek, from airein to raise

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012