| anacrusis |
| Definition: In poetry and song, the case where one or many unstressed syllables start a line of verse before the actual meter begins. |
| Example: In the song Star Spangled Banner, the Oh! in Oh! Say can you see is an anacrusis. |
| Etymology: The word derives from Greek anakrousis, a pushing back (from ana, back + krouein, to strike). |
| OED: The word's first OED citation is from 1833: "The Iambus … in technical language is said to consist of anacrusis and arsis." (Edin. Rev. LVI. 372) |