caesura

[ si-zhoor-uh, -zoor-uh, siz-yoor-uh ]
See synonyms for caesura on Thesaurus.com
noun,plural cae·su·ras, cae·su·rae [si-zhoor-ee, -zoor-ee, siz-yoor-ee]. /sɪˈʒʊər i, -ˈzʊər i, sɪzˈyʊər i/.
  1. 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 thyselfpresume not God to scan.

  2. 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.

  1. any break, pause, or interruption.

Origin of caesura

1
1550–60; <Latin, equivalent to caes(us) cut (past participle of caedere) (caed- cut + -tus past participle suffix) + -ūra-ure

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

  • 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

caesura

/ (sɪˈzjʊərə) /


nounplural -ras or -rae (-riː)
  1. (in modern prosody) a pause, esp for sense, usually near the middle of a verse line: Usual symbol: ||

  2. (in classical prosody) a break between words within a metrical foot, usually in the third or fourth foot of the line

Origin of caesura

1
C16: from Latin, literally: a cutting, from caedere to cut

Derived 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