What is Anceps?

Question: What is Anceps?

Answer: Anceps (short for elementum anceps) refers to an ambivalent syllable in a line of poetry. The syllable may be either long or short. An x is often used to show an anceps. The plural of anceps is ancipitia.

Greek and Latin Poetry Meter FAQ Index:

• What Is an Anceps?
• What's the Difference Between Caesura and Diaeresis?
• What's an Example of a Caesura?
• What Is Dactylic Hexameter?
• What Is Dactylic Pentameter?
• What Is an Example of an Elegiac Couplet?
• What Is an Ictus?
• What Is Meter?
• What is Prosody?
• How Do You Scan a Line of Latin Poetry?