Etymology
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dactyl (n.)

metrical foot, late 14c., from Latin dactylus, from Greek daktylos, a unit of measure (a finger-breadth), also "a fruit of the date tree, a date," literally "finger" (also "toe"), a word of unknown origin. The metrical use (a long syllable followed by two short ones) is by analogy with the three joints of a finger. In English versification it refers to an accented syllable followed by two unaccented. The "date" sense also sometimes was used in early Modern English.

Entries linking to dactyl

dactylic (adj.)

"constituting or equivalent to a dactyl; composed of dactyls," 1580s, from Latin dactylicus, from Greek daktylikos "pertaining to a dactyl," from daktylos (see dactyl).

polydactylism (n.)

"condition of having more than the normal number of fingers and toes," 1850, with -ism + Greek polydaktylos "having many digits;" from poly- "much, many" (see poly-) + daktylos "finger, toe" (see dactyl). Related: Polydactyl (1874 as an adjective, 1894 as a noun); polydactyly.

pterodactyl (n.)

extinct flying reptile, 1826, from French ptérodactyle (Cuvier, 1809), from Modern Latin genus name Pterodactylus, from Greek pteron "wing" (from PIE root *pet- "to rush, to fly") + Latinized form of daktylos "finger" (see dactyl).

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Definitions of dactyl

dactyl (n.)
a metrical unit with stressed-unstressed-unstressed syllables;
dactyl (n.)
a finger or toe in human beings or corresponding body part in other vertebrates;
Synonyms: digit
From wordnet.princeton.edu

Dictionary entries near dactyl

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