A
dactyl (,
dáktylos, “finger”) is a
foot in
poetic meter. In quantitative verse, often used in
Greek or
Latin, a dactyl is a long syllable followed by two short syllables, as determined by
syllable weight. In accentual verse, often used in
English, it is a stressed syllable followed by two unstressed syllables—the opposite is the
anapaest (two unstressed followed by a stressed syllable).