pyrrhic

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. A metrical foot having two short or unaccented syllables.
2. adj. Of or characterized by pyrrhics.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. An ancient Grecian warlike dance, in quick and light measure, accompanied by the flute. It consisted chiefly in adroit and nimble steps and motions of the body, intended to represent the attempt to avoid strokes of an enemy in battle and to inflict injury upon him. It was performed under arms, and the movements and practice necessary were looked upon as training for service in the field.
2. Of or pertaining to the Greek martial dance called a pyrrhic.
3. In prosody, consisting of two short times or syllables: as, a pyrrhic foot; composed of or pertaining to feet so constituted: as, pyrrhic verse; pyrrhic rhythm.
4. n. In ancient prosody, a foot consisting of two short times or syllables. ; A pyrrhic is apparently a disemic isorrhythmic foot (˘´ | ˘ or ˘ | ˘´). The earlier and better ancient authorities (the rhythmicians), however, did not acknowledge the existence of a disemic foot, and it seems to have been first introduced into metrical analysis by the grammarians and later metricians. An apparent pyrrhic (˘ ˘) can occur — at the end of an iambic line (˘ ˘ for ˘ —)
5. Pertaining to Pyrrhus, especially to Pyrrhus, King of Epirus (see phrase below).

Wiktionary

1. adj. prosody Of or characterized by pyrrhics.
2. adj. Relating to Pyrrhus, a Macedonian king, or some of his costly victories he had while fighting Rome.
3. n. An Ancient Greek war dance.
4. n. prosody A metric foot with two short or unaccented syllables.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. adj. Of or pertaining to an ancient Greek martial dance.
2. adj. (Pros.) Of or pertaining to a pyrrhic, or to pyrrhics; containing pyrrhic.
3. n. An ancient Greek martial dance, to the accompaniment of the flute, its time being very quick.
4. n. (Pros.) A foot consisting of two short syllables.

WordNet 3.0

1. adj. of or relating to or containing a metrical foot of two unstressed syllables
2. n. a metrical unit with unstressed-unstressed syllables
3. adj. of or relating to a war dance of ancient Greece
4. adj. of or relating to or resembling Pyrrhus or his exploits (especially his sustaining staggering losses in order to defeat the Romans)
5. n. an ancient Greek dance imitating the motions of warfare