tribrach
/ˈtrʌɪbrak
/ /ˈtrɪbrak/noun Prosody
A metrical foot of three short or unstressed syllables.He had an instinctive aversion to a succession of short syllables, and even tribrachs are of comparatively rare occurrence....
- He knows the difference ‘between a tribrach and a molossus, a sapphic and an alcaic’.
- Professor Murray and Mr Dale have recently discussed the treatment of tribrachs in Greek dramatic verse.
Derivatives
tribrachic
- Common metrical patterns in both poetry and music are iambic, trochaic, dactylic, amphibrachic, anapaestic, spondaic, and tribrachic.
- The violin line is based on the tribrachic mode (short - short - short).
- These polyphonists enjoyed a somewhat codified rhythmic system: six patterns roughly aligned with the poetic patterns known as trochaic, iambic, dactylic, anapestic, spondaic, and tribrachic.
Origin
Late 16th century: via Latin from Greek tribrakhus, from tri- 'three' + brakhus 'short'.