caesura
Prosody. a break, especially a sense pause, usually near the middle of a verse, and marked in scansion by a double vertical line, as in know then thyself ‖ presume not God to scan.
Classical Prosody. a division made by the ending of a word within a foot, or sometimes at the end of a foot, especially in certain recognized places near the middle of a verse.
any break, pause, or interruption.
Origin of caesura
1- Also cesura.
Other words from caesura
- cae·su·ral, cae·su·ric, adjective
Words Nearby caesura
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use caesura in a sentence
This is a detail from "caesura" by Emily Henretta, on view now at Room East in New York.
Notice some examples where the caesura necessarily preserves a final -e from elision, as in B 3989; where tal-e occurs before al.
Chaucer's Works, Volume 6 (of 7) -- Introduction, Glossary, and Indexes | Geoffrey ChaucerHence there is no need to elide a vowel at the caesura; it must therefore be sounded clearly.
Chaucer's Works, Volume 6 (of 7) -- Introduction, Glossary, and Indexes | Geoffrey ChaucerThe latter syllable of profit comes at the caesura, and is easily read quickly.
Chaucer's Works, Volume 3 (of 7) | Geoffrey ChaucerIn verses of eleven or twelve syllables, however, the caesura is usually employed to give a break in a determined place.
Legends, Tales and Poems | Gustavo Adolfo Becquer
The caesura requires a strong accent on the syllable preceding it, and does not prevent synalepha.
Legends, Tales and Poems | Gustavo Adolfo Becquer
British Dictionary definitions for caesura
/ (sɪˈzjʊərə) /
(in modern prosody) a pause, esp for sense, usually near the middle of a verse line: Usual symbol: ||
(in classical prosody) a break between words within a metrical foot, usually in the third or fourth foot of the line
Origin of caesura
1Derived forms of caesura
- caesural, adjective
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Browse