Standard Lemma guide
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
noun
A word or metrical foot of two syllables, either both long or both stressed.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: communications, journalism, literature, media, poetry, publishing, writing
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
a metrical unit with stressed-stressed syllables
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: metrical foot, foot, metrical unit
History
From Latin spondēus (“spondee”), from Ancient Greek σπονδεῖος (spondeîos, “associated with a libation”) from σπονδή (spondḗ, “libation”): spondees were often used in melodies sung at libations.
Across languages
22 source translations are retained for this English entry.
