Definitions

1. noun

A finger or toe, especially as a unit of measurement in poetry.

“The poet used iambic tetrameter, with five iambic feet, or dactyls, per line.”

2. noun

A digit or toe, especially when considered as a unit of measurement.

“The anthropologist studied the dactyls of the indigenous people to understand their perception of time.”

3. noun

A type of wingbeat in birds, characterized by a downstroke followed by an upstroke.

“The ornithologist studied the dactyls of the eagle to understand its flight patterns.”

4. noun

The first and third syllables in a dactylic foot in poetry.

“The poet used a dactylic meter, with stressed syllables on the first and third dactyls.”

5. noun

The first syllable in a dactylic foot in poetry.

“The poet used a dactylic meter, with stressed syllables on the first dactyl.”