catalexis

[ kat-l-ek-sis ]

noun

, Prosody.

, plural cat·a·lex·es [kat-, lek, -seez].

1. the absence of a syllable at the beginning or end of a line of metrical verse resulting in an incomplete foot, most often occurring in the last foot at the end of a verse; a catalectic line.

Word History and Origins

Origin of catalexis¹

1820–30; < Greek katálēxis ending, final syllable; catalectic, -sis