Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Topic: LITERATURE

Date: 1300-1400
Language: Latin
Origin: dactylus, from Greek daktylos 'finger' (because of the length of the three finger-joints)

dactyl

 noun
     
dac‧tyl [countable]
AL a repeated sound pattern in poetry, consisting of one long sound followed by two short sounds, as in the word 'carefully'
—dactylic adjective
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