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Molossus

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 (– – –)

Detailed Definition
A molossus is a metrical foot of three long (or stressed) syllables (– – –), used in Greek and Latin poetry for emphatic or solemn effect; though uncommon in English, it appears in spondaic clusters to convey weight, urgency, or grandeur within otherwise regular meters.
Example
Example in poetry:
“HEART-BEAT” in Tennyson’s “The Charge of the Light Brigade” (stressed-stressed-stressed); “DEEP-DARK-DREAM” in Poe’s rhythmic incantations; “STRONG-HOLD-FAST” in Milton’s blank verse; trochaic molossus in Hopkins’ sprung rhythm lines
Additional Notes
Molossus: A metrical foot of three stressed syllables (DUM-DUM-DUM); rare in English but used for emphatic effect; appears in classical and experimental prosody.
Also Known As
Triple-stress foot Three-long syllables Heavy measure All-stressed unit three-long foot
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