anapests

Anapest is a metrical foot in poetry consisting of three syllables: two unstressed followed by a stressed syllable. When repeated, it yields a lilting, galloping rhythm often described as rolling or buoyant. In English verse, lines can be built from sequences of anapests to form anapestic meter, most commonly in forms such as anapestic tetrameter and, less frequently, anapestic trimeter. A line scanned as four anapests would be called anapestic tetrameter; three feet per line would be anapestic trimeter.

Etymology: The term comes from Greek anápestos, meaning unaccented, and passed into English prosody to name this three-syllable foot. Although associated most with classical and later English verse, anapestic rhythm has been used across languages and historical periods to convey movement and momentum.

Usage: In English poetry it is especially common in light verse, comic ballads, and nursery rhymes, where the steady, rolling pace supports humor or narrative pace. It is less common as the dominant meter in serious lyric, but poets use it for effect, often mixing with other feet to create variety.

Example demonstration: A schematic anapest line could be represented as da da DUM da da DUM da da DUM, with each da representing an unstressed syllable and DUM a stressed syllable. Real lines may substitute stressed locations for emphasis without strictly maintaining every foot. The rhythm can influence tempo, mood, and emphasis in the poem.