An adonic is a short classical metrical line made of a dactyl followed by a spondee. It is best known as the final line of a Sapphic stanza, where its brief, firm rhythm gives the stanza a clear closing cadence.
Example
HÉavenly, SUN-bright
STÓNE-cold at the close
Related Definitions
[n] a verse line with a dactyl followed by a spondee or trochee; used in laments by Adonis