Bacchius
/ˈbæk.i.əs/noun
In classical prosody, a metrical foot consisting of one short syllable followed by two long syllables.
Did you know?The Bacchius is named for Bacchus, the Roman god of wine and ritual ecstasy, because its rising-heavy rhythm was felt to echo the pulse of ecstatic verse.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
Βάκχειος (Bákcheios)
“Of or belonging to Bacchus; Bacchic, ecstatic”
Classical Latin
Latin
bacchius
“A metrical foot of one short syllable followed by two long syllables”
Late Latin
Latin
bacchius
“The same metrical foot, used in grammatical and poetic treatises”
Middle English
English
bacchius
“A learned term in prosody adopted from Latin”
Modern English
English
bacchius
“A poetic foot of one short syllable followed by two long syllables”