spondee

n. [ L. spondeus, Gr. &unr_; (sc. &unr_;), fr. &unr_; a drink offering, libation, fr. &unr_; to pour out, make a libation: cf. F. spondée. So called because at libations slow, solemn melodies were used, chiefly in this meter. ] (Pros.) A poetic foot of two long syllables, as in the Latin word lēgēs. [ 1913 Webster ]