pyrrhic

a. [ L. pyrrhichius, Gr. &unr_; belonging to the &unr_; (sc. &unr_;) a kind of war dance. ] 1. Of or pertaining to an ancient Greek martial dance. “ ye have the pyrrhic dance as yet.” Byron. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Pros.) Of or pertaining to a pyrrhic, or to pyrrhics; containing pyrrhic; as, a pyrrhic verse. [ 1913 Webster ]

Pyrrhic victory [ From Pyrrhus, king of Epirus. ], (a) a victory in which the winning side sustains very heavy losses. (b) any act supposedly benefitting the actor, for which the costs outweight the benefits. [ PJC ]

n. 1. [ Gr. &unr_;: cf. F. pyrrhique, fem. ] An ancient Greek martial dance, to the accompaniment of the flute, its time being very quick. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. [ L. pyrrhichius (sc. pes), Gr. &unr_; (sc. &unr_;): cf. F. pyrrhique, masc. ] (Pros.) A foot consisting of two short syllables. [ 1913 Webster ]