pyrrhic
UK[ˈpɪr.ɪk]US[ˈpɪr.ɪk]
adj
describing a victory that is won at such a great cost that it is scarcely better than a defeat
n
a metrical foot of two short or unaccented syllables
Morpheme Breakdown
pyrrhic
pyrrhic
Etymology
the term originates from the name of pyrrhus, a king of epirus in ancient greece. after defeating the romans at the battle of asculum in 279 bc, he suffered such devastating losses to his own army that he reportedly declared, "another such victory and i am undone." this historical anecdote gave rise to the phrase "pyrrhic victory," which entered english in the late 19th century to describe any success that comes with ruinous cost. the word's journey from a proper noun to a common adjective exemplifies the process of antonomasia, where a name becomes emblematic of a broader concept.
Analysis
Structure: pyrrhic
the word is a simplex, derived from the name pyrrhus. it is not segmentable into smaller, meaningful morphemes based on its current english spelling.
Examples
the general's troops captured the hill, but it was a pyrrhic victory that left his forces crippled.
some argue that winning the lengthy legal battle was a pyrrhic achievement, considering the financial and emotional toll.
in poetry, a pyrrhic is a foot consisting of two unstressed syllables.