Also 4, 6–7 sponde, 6 -ie, spondæ, 7 -æe. [ad. L. spondē-us, incorrectly spondæ-us (sc. pes), ad. Gr. σπονδεῖος, f. σπονδή solemn drink-offering; or a. F. spondée (= It. spondeo, Sp. and Pg. espondeo).]
1. Pros. A metrical foot consisting of two long syllables. Also attrib.
α. a. 1390. Wycliffite Bible, Job, Prol. Vers of sixe feet, rennende with dactile and sponde feet.
1567. Drant, Horace, Ep., A viij. In the fourth roume and seconde roume Iambus still hath bene. In Ennius or Accius, Spondie is seldom seene.
1596. J. Davies, Orchestra, lxvi. Yet all the feete … Are onely Spondeis, solemne, graue, and sloe.
1670. Eachard, Cont. Clergy, 13. Upon the first scanning, he knows a sponde from a dactyl.
1746. Francis, trans. Horace, Art of Poetry, 259, note. Horace blames Ennius and Accius … for making their Verses hard and heavy by ill-placing the Spondees.
1771. Mackenzie, Man Feel., xx. It is a spondee, and I will maintain it!
1835. T. Mitchell, Aristoph., Acharn., 571, note. Originally, this kind of address was composed in pure anapæsts, without any mixture of spondees or dactyls.
1888. Helen Gray Cone, in Century Mag., March, 677/2. Jerry made a spondee of Frank’s name [sc. Mallard], which seemed to taste well to his tongue.
β. 1586. W. Webbe, Eng. Poetrie (Arb.), 81. Thys verse consisteth of these fiue feete, one Chore, one spondæ, one dactyl, and two Choreis.
1603. Holland, Plutarch’s Mor., 1253. Those which were endited to the praise of Mars and Minerva, and with Spondæes.
1666. Dryden, Ann. Mirab., Let. Howard. The quantity of every syllable, which they might vary with Spondæes or Dactiles.
2. Mus. (See quots.)
1861. J. S. Adams, 5000 Mus. Terms, 94. Spondee, a musical foot consisting of two long notes, accented thus ¯ ¯.
1875. Stainer & Barrett, Dict. Mus. Terms, Spondee, a musical foot consisting of two long syllables.
