pyrrhic English · revision 1277

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /ˈpɪɹɪk/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ There are two words.^(OED 1989)^(Etymonline) ''Pyrrhic'' as in ''Pyrrhic victory'' refers to Pyrrhus, king of Epirus,^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU) whose name is Greek for “red-haired”, from ''purrhós'' “flame-coloured”.^(Etymonline) ''Pyrrhic'', the dance and metrical foot, comes from [[la|pyrrhicha]],^(Etymonline)^(RHWU) [[der|grc|πυρρίχη|tr=purrhíkhē]], the ancient Greek war dance,^(AHD)^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU) traditionally named after its inventor Pyrrhichus.^(AHD)^(Etymonline)^(RHWU)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The war dance of the ancient Greeks, performed in armour (1597–8).^(OED 1989)^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The name was also given to a metrical foot of two short syllables (1626).^(OED 1989)^(MW Collegiate)^(Etymonline) The adjective referring to Pyrrhus is from 1885,^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate)^(OED 1989) chiefly in ''Pyrrhic victory'', a success won at too great a cost.^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate)^(OED 1989) Pyrrhus defeated the Romans at Asculum (279 BCE in Etymonline, 280 in Barnhart) but lost so many men that he could not go on to attack Rome,^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1995) and is said to have remarked that one more such victory would ruin him.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1597–8 – the Greek war dance.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1626 – a metrical foot of two short syllables.^(MW Collegiate)^(OED 1989)

+ * 1749 – adjective, of pyrrhics.^(OED 1989)^(Etymonline)

+ * 1885 – of Pyrrhus, as in ''Pyrrhic victory''.^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate)^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Adjective===

+ # ''(often capitalized)'' Of a victory, won at such great cost that it is hardly worth winning.^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+ # Of or consisting of pyrrhic feet.^(AHD)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ===Noun===

+ # A metrical [[foot]] of two short or unstressed syllables.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+ # An ancient Greek [[war dance]] imitating the motions of combat.^(RHWU)^(OED 1989)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[pyre]]

+ * [[pyro-]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}