Definition of dactyl

• n. - A poetical foot of three sylables (-- ~ ~), one long followed by two short, or one accented followed by two unaccented; as, L. tegm/n/, E. mer\b6ciful; -- so called from the similarity of its arrangement to that of the joints of a finger.
• n. - A finger or toe; a digit.
• n. - The claw or terminal joint of a leg of an insect or crustacean.