dactyl
English
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dactyl
- /ˈdæktɪl/ US, UK
Where it comes from
Learned borrowing from Latin dactylus, from Ancient Greek δάκτυλος (dáktulos, “finger”), from the three bones of the finger corresponding to three syllables. Doublet of dactylus, date, and (possibly) digit.
noun dactyls · dactyle · dactile
- A metrical foot of three syllables of the shape | – ⏖ | Now the Bard, glad to get an audience, […] / stuck fast with his first hexameter, / Not one of all whose gouty feet would stir. // But ere the spavin'd dactyls could be spurr'd / Into recitative, in great dismay / Both cherubim and seraphim were heard / To murmur loudly through their long array; […]
- In qualitative metre, a foot with a stressed first syllable followed by two unstressed syllables.
- In quantitative metre, a foot with a long first syllable followed by two short syllables.
- An excerpt of poetry or verse using this metre.
Translations
Talk about this word "dactyl." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/dactyl. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. dactyl. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/dactyl "dactyl." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/dactyl.Cite this
@misc{dactyl_2026,
title = {dactyl},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/dactyl},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
