Webster's English Dictionary

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arsis

ar.sis \'a:r-s*s\ \-.se-z\ n or ar.ses [LL & Gk; LL, raising of the voice, 
   accented part of foot, fr. Gk, upbeat, less] pl  important part of foot, 
   lit., act of lifting, fr. aeirein, airein to lift 1a: the lighter or 
   shorter part of a poetic foot esp. in quantitative verse  1b: the accented 
   or longer part of a poetic foot esp. in accentual verse  2: the unaccented 
   part of a musical measure