noun
definition
A poetical foot of three syllables (— ⏑ ⏑), one long followed by two short, or one accented followed by two unaccented.
Examples of dactyl in a Sentence
Quite distinct was the Idaean Hercules, a Cretan Dactyl connected with the cult of Rhea or Cybele.
According to another, the festival was founded by Heracles, either the well-known hero or the Idaean Dactyl of that name.
The rule is that, if there is a pause at the end of the fourth foot, this foot must be a dactyl.
Admitted soon after into the counting-house of a friend of his family, he "turned his stool into a Pegasus on three legs, every foot, of course, being a dactyl or a spondee"; but the uncongenial profession affected his health, which was never strong, and he was transferred to the care of his father's relations at Dundee.