FOOT, in the Latin and Greek poetry, a metre or measure, composed of a certain number of long and short syllables.
These feet are commonly reckoned twenty-eight, of which some are simple, as consisting of two or three syllables, and therefore called dissyllabic or trisyllabic feet; others are compound, consisting of four syllables, and are therefore called tetrasyllabic feet.
The dissyllabic feet are four in number, viz. the pyrrhichius, spondeus, iambus, and trocheus. See PYRRHICHUS, &c.
The trisyllabic feet are eight in number, viz. the dactylus, anapaustus, tribachys, molossus, amphibrachys, amphimacer, bacchius, and antibacchius. See DACTYL, &c.
The tetrasyllabic are in number sixteen, viz. the proclausmaticus, dispondeus, choriambus, antispasus, diambus, dichoreus, ionicus a majore, ionicus a minore, epitritus primus, epitritus secundus, epitritus
tertius, epitritus quartus, pæon primus, pæon secundus, pæon tertius, and pæon quartus. See PROCLAUSMATICUS, &c.