dochmius

plural dochmii · plural dochmiuses

1. communicationsA metrical foot of five syllables used in Greek tragedy for highly anguished scenes. The metrical pattern is typically: short-long-long-short-long.

   Every dochmius is catalectic, representing an original phrase of nine primary times.

   1912, John Williams White, The Verse of Greek Comedy, page 296

   2 more examples

   Yet there is good reason to doubt the existence of any such; —good reason to think, that dochmiuses belong to the triple rhythm

   1843, William O'Brien, The Ancient Rhythmical Art Recovered, page 6

   This chorus, which consists almost entirely of dochmii, is so corrupt as to present various problems of an almost insoluble character, although portions of it have yielded to the brilliant emendatory efforts of Hermann.

   1910, R. J. Walker, Anti Mias: An Essay in Isometry, page 228