dactylic

[dak-til-ik]

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adjective

of, containing, or characterized by dactyls: dactylic hexameter; a dactylic line.

of a dactyl.

noun

a dactylic verse.

Origin of dactylic

1580–90; < Latin dactylicus < Greek daktylikós. See dactyl, -ic

Related formsdac·tyl·i·cal·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for dactylic

dramatic, elegiac, epic, idyllic, imaginative, lyric, lyrical, melodious, romantic, tuneful, metrical, rhythmical, anapestic, dactylic, epical, iambic, odic

Examples from the Web for dactylic

Historical Examples of dactylic

In dactylic hexameter how many of these feet are there in a line?
The Chautauquan, Vol. III, January 1883
The Chautauquan Literary and Scientific Circle
The metre of the song is dactylic; the accents being on the 1st, 4th, 7th, and 10th syllables.
The Lady of the Lake
Sir Walter Scott
That is, if he ever was an infant, and called for his bottle in dactylic hexameter.
Winning His "W"
Everett Titsworth Tomlinson
Dactylic lines are not common except in the imitations of the classical hexameter.
The Principles of English Versification
Paull Franklin Baum
Young gentlemen, there's a capital start on a fine, sonorous line, dactylic hexameter.
From School to Battle-field
Charles King

British Dictionary definitions for dactylic

dactylic

adjective

of, relating to, or having a dactyldactylic verse

noun

a variant of dactyl (def. 1)

Derived Formsdactylically, adverb

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

Word Origin and History for dactylic

adj.

1580s, from Latin dactylicus, from Greek daktylikos, from daktylos "pertaining to a dactyl" (see dactyl).