arsis

American  

[ahr-sis] / ˈɑr sɪs /

noun

plural

arses

1. Music. the upward stroke in conducting; upbeat.

2. Prosody.

   1. the part of a metrical foot that bears the ictus or stress.

   2. (less commonly) a part of a metrical foot that does not bear the ictus.

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arsis British  

/ ˈɑːsɪs /

noun

1. (in classical prosody) the long syllable or part on which the ictus falls in a metrical foot Compare thesis

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Etymology

Origin of arsis

1350–1400; Middle English: raising the voice < Latin < Greek, equivalent to ar- (stem of aírein to raise, lift) + -sis -sis

Example Sentences

Isorrhythmic, ī-sō-rith′mik, adj. in ancient prosody, equal in the number of times for thesis and arsis, as a dactyl and anap�st.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 2 of 4: E-M) by Various

"If the arsis is monosyllabic, a short vowel in the thesis followed by a single consonant is not lengthened by the ictus; the arsis is instead prolonged."

From English Verse Specimens Illustrating its Principles and History by Alden, Raymond MacDonald

Ad hanc autem rem arsis et thesis necessariae.

From The Roman Pronunciation of Latin Why we use it and how to use it by Lord, Frances Ellen

They exhibited a more or less regular alternation of arsis and thesis.

From English Verse Specimens Illustrating its Principles and History by Alden, Raymond MacDonald

The syllable which receives the ictus is called the thesis; the rest of the foot is called the arsis.

From New Latin Grammar by Bennett, Charles E. (Charles Edwin)