DACTYL


Meaning of DACTYL in English

n.

Pronunciation: ' dak-t ə l, - ˌ til

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English dactile, from Latin dactylus, from Greek daktylos, literally, finger; from the fact that the first of three syllables is the longest, like the joints of the finger

Date: 14th century

: a metrical foot consisting of one long and two short syllables or of one stressed and two unstressed syllables (as in tenderly )

– dac · tyl · ic \ dak- ' ti-lik \ adjective or noun

Merriam Webster Collegiate English Dictionary.      Merriam Webster - Энциклопедический словарь английского языка.