Anacrusis

Pronunciation

• UK IPA: /anəˈkɹuːsɪs/

Origin

Modern Latin, from Ancient Greek ἀνάκρουσις (anakrousis, "pushing up"), from ἀνακρούω (anakrouō, "I push up"), from ἀνά (ana, "up") + κρούω (krouō, "I strike").

Noun

1. (prosody) An unstressed syllable at the start of a verse.
2. (music) An unstressed note or notes before the first strong beat (or downbeat) of a phrase.
• 1989, Anthony Burgess, Any Old Iron:Then Etheridge poised his baton, jerked an upbeat, and made the violinists speak the low G and A of their anacrusis.

Related terms

• crusis