1. metrical feet in poetry consisting of one stressed syllable followed by two unstressed syllables
Usage: poetry; prosody
2. fingers or toes
Usage: anatomy; technical

Examples

• The poem was written entirely in dactyls, creating a distinctive rhythm.
• Students learned to identify dactyls by clapping out the stressed and unstressed beats.
• The word ‘elephant’ is an example of a dactyl in English poetry.
• The anatomist examined the dactyls for signs of injury.
• Ancient Greek poetry frequently employed dactyls in epic verse.
• The medical report noted abnormalities in several dactyls on the patient’s left hand.