amphibrach

n. [ L. &unr_;, Gr. &unr_; short at both ends; 'amfi` + brachy`s short. ] (Anc. Pros.) A foot of three syllables, the middle one long, the first and last short (˘ -- ˘); as, hăbēr&ebreve_;. In modern prosody the accented syllable takes the place of the long and the unaccented of the short; as, pro-phet&bprime_;ic. [ 1913 Webster ]