Bacchius

For the writer, see Bacchius of Tanagra.

A bacchius (/bəˈkaɪəs/) is a metrical foot of three syllables, consisting of one unstressed syllable followed by two stressed ones.

Metrical feet and accents

Disyllables
◡ ◡	pyrrhic, dibrach
◡ –	iamb
– ◡	trochee, choree
– –	spondee
Trisyllables
◡ ◡ ◡	tribrach
– ◡ ◡	dactyl
◡ – ◡	amphibrach
◡ ◡ –	anapaest, antidactylus
◡ – –	bacchius
– ◡ –	cretic, amphimacer
– – ◡	antibacchius
– – –	molossus
See main article for tetrasyllables.
v t e

In accentual-syllabic verse we could describe a bacchius as a foot that goes like this:

da

DUM

DUM

Example:

When day breaks

the fish bite

at small flies.

The Christmas carol 'No Small Wonder' by Paul Edwards is a fair example of usage.

The name is thought to come from its use in ancient Greek songs to the god Bacchus.^[1]