Background for dactyls
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dactyls

/ˈdæktɪlz/

Meanings
noun
A poetical foot of three syllables (— ⏑ ⏑), one long followed by two short, or one accented followed by two unaccented.

Examples :

"The poem used dactyls to create a falling, waltz-like rhythm, noticeable in lines where one strong syllable was followed by two softer ones. "
literature language writing

Related Words

Illustration followed

followed verb

/ˈfɒləʊd/ /ˈfɑloʊd/

To go after; to pursue; to move behind in the same path or direction.

"Follow that car!"

Illustration syllable

syllable noun

/ˈsɪləbəl/

A unit of human speech that is interpreted by the listener as a single sound, although syllables usually consist of one or more vowel sounds, either alone or combined with the sound of one or more consonants; a word consists of one or more syllables.

"The word "happy" has two syllables: "hap" and "py." "

Illustration syllables

syllables noun

/ˈsɪləbl̩z/

A unit of human speech that is interpreted by the listener as a single sound, although syllables usually consist of one or more vowel sounds, either alone or combined with the sound of one or more consonants; a word consists of one or more syllables.

"The word "banana" has three syllables. "

Illustration poetical

poetical adjective

/pəʊˈɛtɪkl̩/ /poʊˈɛtɪkl̩/

Relating to poetry.

"Iambics are one form of poetic meter."

Illustration accented

accented verb

/ˈæksɛntɪd/ /ˈækˌsɛntɪd/

To express the accent of vocally; to utter with accent.

"The teacher accented the word "difficult" to help the students understand its pronunciation. "

Illustration softer

softer adjective

/ˈsɔftər/ /ˈsɑftər/

Easily giving way under pressure.

"My head sank easily into the soft pillow."

Illustration unaccented

unaccented adjective

/ˌʌnækˈsɛntɪd/ /ˌʌnəkˈsɛntɪd/

Of a word, having no diacritical mark; accentless.

"The word "potato" is unaccented in English pronunciation. "

Illustration rhythm

rhythm noun

/ˈɹɪ.ð(ə)m/

The variation of strong and weak elements (such as duration, accent) of sounds, notably in speech or music, over time; a beat or meter.

"Dance to the rhythm of the music."

Illustration strong

strong adjective

/stɹɑŋ/ /stɹɒŋ/ /stɹɔŋ/

Capable of producing great physical force.

"a big strong man; Jake was tall and strong"

Illustration falling

falling verb

/ˈfɔːlɪŋ/ /ˈfɔlɪŋ/

(heading) To be moved downwards.

"The apple is falling from the tree. "

Illustration create

create verb

/kɹiːˈeɪt/

To bring into existence; (sometimes in particular:)

"You can create the color orange by mixing yellow and red."

Illustration noticeable

noticeable adjective

/ˈnəʊtɪsəbl̩/ /ˈnoʊtɪsəbl̩/

Capable of being seen or noticed.

"The difference in her haircut was noticeable immediately. "