amphimacer

noun

am·​phim·​a·​cer

amˈfiməsə(r),

ˈamfəˌmās-

plural -s

: a trisyllabic foot consisting of a short syllable between two long syllables in quantitative verse or of an unstressed syllable between two stressed syllables in accentual verse

the word runaway is an accentual amphimacer

called also cretic

Word History

Etymology

Latin amphimacrus, from Greek amphimakros, literally, long at both ends, from amphi- + makros long

First Known Use

1589, in the meaning defined above

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