What is "tribrach"

Tribrach \Tri"brach\, n. [L. tribrachys, Gr. ? consisting of three short syllables; ? (see Tri-) + ? short.] (Gr. & L. Pros.) A poetic foot of three short syllables, as, m[e^]l[i^][u^]s.

Etymology 1 alt. (label en prosody) A metrical foot consisting of three short syllables. n. (label en prosody) A metrical foot consisting of three short syllables. Etymology 2

n. 1 A figure (non-gloss definition or English) object having three arms (non-gloss definition or English) branches. 2 # (lb en archaeology) A tribrachial prehistoric flint implement. 3 # (rfquote-sense: English) (lb en surveying) A circular platform on three legs, each having levelling screws, used to connect a (l en theodolite) to a (l en tripod).

Tribrach can refer to:

• Tribrach (poetry), a metrical foot of three short syllables.
• Tribrach (instrument), a device used in surveying for mounting an instrument on a surveyor's tripod.

A tribrach is a metrical foot used in formal poetry and Greek and Latin verse. In quantitative meter (such as the meter of classical verse), it consists of three short syllables; in accentual-syllabic verse (such as formal English verse), the tribrach consists of three unstressed syllables. According to some sources, another name for this meter is choree, from the Greek choreus. Other sources categorize the choree as a metrical foot containing two unstressed syllables, or one accented followed by one unaccented foot.

The existence of the tribrach has been contested by some writers and its entry in the Oxford English Dictionary under 'Poetry Terms' lacks a formal definition, but does appear, primarily as a musical form, in some American dictionaries, such as Virginia Tech Multimedia Music Dictionary. Its appearance in English poetry is rare, as it tends to resolve into two disyllabic feet, depending upon the feet that surround it.

Category:Metrical feet

right|thumb|A tribrach with an optical plummet (the black cylinder pointing to the left lower corner of the image). A tribrach is an attachment plate used to attach a surveying instrument, for example a theodolite, total station, GNSS antenna or target to a tripod. A tribrach allows the survey instrument to be repeatedly placed in the same position with sub- millimetre precision, by just loosening and re-tightening a locking handle or lever.