An epitrite is a four-syllable metrical foot made up of three long, or stressed, syllables and one short, or unstressed, syllable. The short syllable can appear in any of the four positions, which is why meter scholars speak of first, second, third, and fourth epitrites.
Classical Greek and Latin poets used epitrites in quantitative verse; in English discussions, the pattern is usually described in terms of stress rather than vowel length.
Example
? - - -
- ? - -
- - ? -
- - - ?