anacrusis

[ an-uh-kroo-sis ]

noun

, plural an·a·cru·ses [an-, uh, -, kroo, -seez].

1. Prosody. an unstressed syllable or syllable group that begins a line of verse but is not counted as part of the first foot.
2. Music. the note or notes preceding a downbeat; upbeat.

anacrusis

/ ˌænəˈkrʌstɪk; ˌænəˈkruːsɪs /

noun

1. prosody one or more unstressed syllables at the beginning of a line of verse
2. music
   1. an unstressed note or group of notes immediately preceding the strong first beat of the first bar
   2. another word for upbeat

Derived Forms

• anacrustic, adjective

Other Words From

• an·a·crus·tic [an-, uh, -, kruhs, -tik], adjective
• ana·crusti·cal·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of anacrusis¹

1825–35; < Latin < Greek anákrousis, equivalent to anakroú(ein ) to strike up, push back ( ana- ana- + kroúein to strike, push) + -sis -sis

Word History and Origins

Origin of anacrusis¹

C19: from Greek anakrousis prelude, from anakrouein to strike up, from ana- + krouein to strike

Example Sentences

It’s the first major addition to Xbox Game Pass for 2022, after Microsoft revealed earlier this week that Mass Effect Legendary Edition, The Anacrusis, and Spelunky 2 are making their way to Xbox Game Pass soon.

From The Verge

Other titles coming to Game Pass in January include roguelike cave explorer Spelunky 2, the award-winning, time-warping Outer Wilds, and a preview of the four-person co-op shooter The Anacrusis.

From The Verge

The most common form consists of an anacrusis, a trochee, a spondee, and two dactyls; a second, of a catalectic iambic pentameter, the third foot always being a spondee; a third, of two dactyls followed by two trochees.

From Project Gutenberg

In line 2 is an instance of anacrusis.

From Project Gutenberg

Here we have anacrusis in lines 2 and 4.

From Project Gutenberg