Which term designates a three-syllable foot with the first syllable stressed and the following two syllables unstressed?

The term that designates a three-syllable foot with the first syllable stressed and the following two syllables unstressed is known as dactylic. In dactylic meter, the pattern is characterized by one accented syllable followed by two unaccented syllables, creating a rhythmic flow that can evoke a sense of movement or urgency in poetry. This structure often results in a dynamic reading, as the initial stress draws attention and propels the reader forward through the following unstressed syllables.

To further clarify, while iambic and anapestic feet involve different stress patterns, they do not fit the description of having one stressed syllable followed by two unstressed ones. Iambic consists of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed one, and anapestic is two unstressed syllables followed by a stressed one. Trochaic, on the other hand, is the opposite of iambic, featuring a stressed syllable followed by an unstressed one, but it only includes two syllables rather than three. Thus, dactylic is the correct answer as it precisely matches the defined characteristics.