What is "adonic"

Adonic \A*don"ic\, a. [F. adonique: cf. L. Adonius.] Relating to Adonis, famed for his beauty. -- n. An Adonic verse.

Adonic verse, a verse consisting of a dactyl and spondee (-- [crescent] [crescent] | --
--). [1913 Webster] ||

An adonic ( Latin: adoneus) is a unit of Aeolic verse, a five-syllable metrical foot consisting of a dactyl followed by a trochee. The last line of a Sapphic stanza is an adonic. The pattern (with "-" a long and "u" a short syllable) is: "- u u - -" when the pattern ends with a spondee (i.e. --) or " -uu -u " if a trochee is intended.