arsis

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ar·sis

(är′sĭs)

n. pl. ar·ses (-sēz′)

a. The short or unaccented part of a metrical foot, especially in quantitative verse.

b. The accented or long part of a metrical foot, especially in accentual verse.

2. Music The upbeat or unaccented part of a measure.

[Middle English, raising of the voice, from Late Latin, raising of the voice, accented part of a metrical foot, from Greek, raising of the foot (marking the upbeat), the unaccented part of a metrical foot, from aeirein, to lift; see wer- in Indo-European roots.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

arsis

(ˈɑːsɪs)

n, pl -ses (-siːz)

(Poetry) (in classical prosody) the long syllable or part on which the ictus falls in a metrical foot. Compare thesis⁶

[C18: via Late Latin from Greek, from airein to raise]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

ar•sis

(ˈɑr sɪs)

n., pl. -ses (-sēz).

1. the upward stroke in conducting music; upbeat. Compare thesis (def. 4).

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

b. a part of a metrical foot that does not bear the ictus. Compare thesis (def. 5).

[1350–1400; Middle English: raising the voice < Latin < Greek]

arsis

the accented part of a foot of verse.