tribrach

plural tribrachs · alternative tribracchus · alternative tribrack · alternative tribrachus · alternative tribrachys · alternative tribrac

1. human sciencesA metrical foot consisting of three short syllables.

   The plain tribrach is frequent in every one’s reading.

   1885, Thomas Dwight Goodell, “Quantity in English Verse”, in Transactions of the American Philological Association, XVI, page 88

   5 more examples

   For your foote tribracchus of all three short, ye haue very few trissillables.

   1589, George Puttenham, The Arte of English Poesie, book ii, chapter xiii (Arb.), page 133

   We may vse a Spondee or Iambick and sometime a Tribrack or Dactile.

   1602, Thomas Campion, chapter IV, in Observations in the Art of English Poesie, page 11

   Tribrachus or Tribrachys, (Gr[eek]) a Foot in Greek and Latin Verſe, conſiſting of three ſhort Syllables; as Pŏpŭlŭs.

   [1706, Edward Phillips, compiler, J[ohn] K[ersey the younger], “Tribrachus or Tribrachys”, in The New World of Words: Or, Universal English Dictionary. […], 6th edition, London: […] J. Phillips, […]; N. Rhodes, […]; and J. Taylor, […], →OCLC, column 1

   Of all the resolved feet, the Tribrach in Trochaic verse with its ictus on the first syllable ⏑́⏑⏑ is most readily recognised by the ear as equivalent to the Trochee.

   1827, the Rev’d Canon James Tate, An Introduction to the Principal Greek Tragic and Comic Metres in Scansion, Structure, and Ictus (second edition, 1829), chapter xi: “The Ictus of the long Trochaic of Tragedy”, §5 (page 23)

   If the range of pure tribrachic measure, or of tribrachs intermingled with trochees, appears much wider in our song-books than in volumes of poetry written to be read.

   1866, John Stuart Blackie, Homer and the Iliad, volume I, page 401

plural tribrachs

1. A figure or object having three arms or branches.
   1. archaeologyA tribrachial prehistoric flint implement.

      A singular instrument chipped out of flint, like three celts conjoined…, so as to form a sort of tribrach.

      1897, Sir John Evans, chapter IV, in The Ancient Stone Implements, Weapons and Ornaments of Great Britain, revised second edition, page 78

      1 more example

      In a recent examination of the registers of the Ryde Philosophical Society, Mr. Martin has found, as I have been informed through Mr. Westropp’s kindness, the entry, that the flint tribrach was presented to the collection by the late Dr. Martin in 1853, with other objects from Ventnor, and as having been obtained on the shore at that place.

      1873, Albert Way, “Notes on an Unique Implement of Flint, Found, as Stated, in the Isle of Wight”, in The Archæological Journal, XXX, page 31

   2. geographyA circular platform on three legs, each having levelling screws, used to connect a theodolite to a tripod.

      An optical plummet, built into either the tribrach or alidade of total station instruments, permits accurate centering over a point.

      2006, Paul R. Wolf, Charles D. Ghilani, chapter 8, in Elementary Surveying, 11th edition, page 193