Definition of pyrrhic Pyrrhic

/pɪˈɹɪk/ - [pirik] - Pyr•rhic

We found 16 definitions of pyrrhic from 5 different sources.

What does pyrrhic mean?

Noun Plural: pyrrhics
pyrrhic - an ancient Greek dance imitating the motions of warfare
		ceremonial dance, ritual dance, ritual dancing a dance that is part of a religious ritual
pyrrhic - a metrical unit with unstressed-unstressed syllables
		dibrach
		metrical foot, metrical unit, foot (prosody) a group of 2 or 3 syllables forming the basic unit of poetic rhythm
Adjective pyrrhic, pyrrhiccer, pyrrhiccest
pyrrhic - of or relating to or resembling Pyrrhus or his exploits (especially his sustaining staggering losses in order to defeat the Romans); "a Pyrrhic victory"
pyrrhic - of or relating to or containing a metrical foot of two unstressed syllables; "pyrrhic verses"
pyrrhic - of or relating to a war dance of ancient Greece; "pyrrhic dance movements"

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pyrrhic (Noun)
An Ancient Greek war dance.
pyrrhic (Noun)
A metric foot with two short or unaccented syllables.
pyrrhic (Adjective)
Of or characterized by pyrrhics.
pyrrhic (Adjective)
Relating to Pyrrhus, a Macedonian king, or some of his costly victories he had while fighting Rome.

pyrrhic (a.)
Of or pertaining to an ancient Greek martial dance.
pyrrhic (a.)
Of or pertaining to a pyrrhic, or to pyrrhics; containing pyrrhic; as, a pyrrhic verse.
pyrrhic (n.)
An ancient Greek martial dance, to the accompaniment of the flute, its time being very quick.
pyrrhic (n.)
A foot consisting of two short syllables.

pyrrhic
pir′ik, n. a kind of war-dance among the ancient Greeks: a poetical foot consisting of two short syllables.—adj. pertaining to the dance or to the poetical foot.—n. Pyr′rhicist, one who dances the pyrrhic. [Gr. pyrrhichē (orchēsis), a kind of war-dance, so called from Pyrrhichos, the inventor.]
pyrrhic
pir′ik, adj. of or pertaining to Pyrrhus, king of Epirus (318-272 B.C.).—Pyrrhic victory, a victory gained at too great a cost, in allusion to Pyrrhus's exclamation after his victory of Asculum (279), 'Another such victory and we are lost!'