What does anapaestic mean?
Anapaestic describes a rhythmic pattern in verse built from anapaests — metrical feet made up of two unstressed syllables followed by a stressed one, as in the phrase "in the dark of the night." Because each foot gathers momentum across its first two light syllables before landing on the stress, anapaestic verse tends to sound swift, buoyant, and song-like, which is why it has long been favoured for comic poetry, ballads, and children's verse. Clement Clarke Moore's "A Visit from St. Nicholas" ('Twas the Night Before Christmas) and much of Dr Seuss's writing are classic examples of the mode. The term belongs to prosody, the technical study of poetic metre, and appears mainly in literary criticism rather than everyday speech. British English spells it "anapaestic," while American English usually prefers "anapestic." Its counterpart at the opposite end of the metrical spectrum is the dactyl, which reverses the pattern with a stressed syllable followed by two unstressed ones.
adjectiveRelating to or consisting of an anapaest, a metrical foot of three syllables with two unstressed syllables followed by a stressed one (as in 'in the NIGHT'). Characteristic of light, galloping, song-like verse.
- (of poetry or prose rhythm) characterized by or composed of anapaests, metrical feet of two unstressed syllables followed by a stressed one
"The poem's anapaestic rhythm gives it the lilt of a nursery rhyme."
"Clement Clarke Moore's famous poem moves in briskly anapaestic lines."
"Her comic verses owe their bounce to a deliberately anapaestic beat."
Dr Seuss built his whole rollicking style on anapaestic metre — so did 'Twas the Night Before Christmas.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of anapaestic
Anapaestic derives from "anapaest," which comes via Latin anapaestus from Greek anápaistos, meaning "struck back" or "reversed" — a reference to the way this metrical foot reverses the pattern of the dactyl (stressed-unstressed-unstressed). The Greek root combines ana- ("back") with the verb paiein ("to strike"). The adjectival form entered English through scholarly Latin usage and has been used since at least the early modern period in writings on classical metre and English prosody.
Related word forms
How anapaestic is actually used
"Anapaestic" is chiefly British; American English typically spells it "anapestic." It is a technical term of prosody and appears almost exclusively in literary criticism and discussions of versification. The corresponding noun for the metrical foot itself is "anapaest" (US "anapest").
Easily confused with anapaestic
Anaesthetic means causing loss of sensation (as with an anaesthetic drug), whereas anapaestic refers to a three-syllable metrical pattern in poetry.