1. A metrical foot consisting of three syllables, with the first and third syllables stressed and the middle syllable unstressed (— ∪ —).
Usage: technical; prosody; used in the analysis of poetry and verse

Examples

• The word 'merrily' is an example of an amphibrach in English poetry.
• Poets sometimes use amphibrachs to create a bouncing, rhythmic effect in their lines.
• In classical prosody, the amphibrach was less common than the iamb or trochee.
• The amphibrach pattern can be heard in the phrase 'a lovely day'.
• Understanding the amphibrach helps students analyze the meter of complex poems.