anapest

An anapest, or anapaest, is a metrical foot in poetry consisting of two unstressed syllables followed by a stressed syllable. In scansion, it is often represented as x x /, with x denoting an unstressed syllable and / a stressed one. The term comes from Greek and is used to describe this three-syllable pattern.

In classical prosody, anapaests appear in Greek and Latin poetry as part of longer metrical schemes, notably in epic verse. In English verse, the anapest is valued for its buoyant, galloping rhythm and is commonly found in lighter or narrative poetry. The most usual English forms are anapestic trimeter, in which three anapestic feet occupy a line, and anapestic tetrameter, with four such feet per line. Poets may substitute other feet for variety, creating occasional deviations from the strict pattern.

A typical demonstration of an anapest is the three-syllable unit in the word intervene: in-ter-vene, with the stress on the last syllable. In verse, lines built from multiple anapests can produce a rolling pace, suitable for motion or momentum in the narrative. Anapests are frequently used in ballads and comic verse, where the rhythmic drive supports a lively or lighthearted tone.

Overall, the anapest is a recognizable three-syllable foot characterized by two unstressed syllables followed by a stressed one, valued for its distinctive, forward-driving tempo in both classical and English-language poetry.