spondee

[ spon-dee ]

nounProsody.

a foot of two syllables, both of which are long in quantitative meter or stressed in accentual meter. Symbol: 

Origin of spondee

1350–1400; Middle English sponde<Latin spondēus<Greek spondeîos, derivative of spondḗ libation

Words Nearby spondee

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

How to use spondee in a sentence

Now the medium of these is about fourteen syllables; because the dactyle is a more frequent foot in hexameters than the spondee.
Dryden's Works (13 of 18): Translations; Pastorals | John Dryden
The spondee is found in solemn hymns or in any verse expressing reverence and awe.
Browning and the Dramatic Monologue | S. S. Curry
A spondee is a foot of two equally accented syllables; as, mainspring, sea-maid.
Elementary Guide to Literary Criticism | F. V. N. Painter
The spondee, a foot of two long syllables, when admitted into the Iambic measure, adds much to the solemnity of the movement.
Dissertation on the English Language | Noah Webster, Jr.
A true spondee must be made by voicing two syllables in equal time, and each without stress.
The Voice and Spiritual Education | Hiram Corson

British Dictionary definitions for spondee

spondee

/ (ˈspɒndiː) /

noun

prosody a metrical foot consisting of two long syllables (– –)

Origin of spondee

C14: from Old French spondée, from Latin spondēus, from Greek spondeios, from spondē a ritual libation; from the use of spondee in the music that characteristically accompanied such ceremonies

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

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