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Epitrite

Meter
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A metrical foot consisting of three long syllables and one short syllable

Detailed Definition
Epitrite is a metrical foot in classical prosody consisting of three short syllables followed by one long (u u u –), the reverse of a proceleusmatic foot, and is rarely used in isolation but may appear as a variant within longer lines of Aeolic or lyric meters; though largely theoretical in English poetry due to its quantitative basis, the concept informs discussions of metrical substitution and rhythmic complexity in translations of Greek lyric or experimental verse that seeks to emulate ancient rhythmic textures.
Example
Example in poetry:
Iambic tetrameter with one long syllable substituted: “Gather ye rosebuds while ye may” (Herrick); Epitrite appears in Greek lyric, adapted by English poets; Modern example: “Stop. Look. Listen. Breathe.” uses epitritic stress; The foot adds rhythmic variation to iambic base.
Additional Notes
Epitrite is a metrical foot of three short syllables followed by one long (in quantitative meter) or three unstressed followed by one stressed (in accentual-syllabic); it’s rare in English but appears in Pindaric odes.
Also Known As
Three-short-one-long foot Complex four-syllable measure Mixed classical meter Compound foot
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