caesura
Americannoun
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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.
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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.
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any break, pause, or interruption.
noun
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Usual symbol: ||. (in modern prosody) a pause, esp for sense, usually near the middle of a verse line
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(in classical prosody) a break between words within a metrical foot, usually in the third or fourth foot of the line
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of caesura
1550–60; < Latin, equivalent to caes ( us ) cut (past participle of caedere ) ( caed- cut + -tus past participle suffix) + -ūra -ure
Explanation
A caesura is a break in a conversation, a line of verse, or a song. Usually, a caesura means total silence, but not for long. A caesura is a pause, or an interruption. In musical notation, a caesura is a break in the music, which can be a good time for a trumpet player to catch his breath. A caesura is also a break in the middle of a line of poetry. It is sometimes marked by a question mark, exclamation point, or period, as in the Sylvia Plath poem “Mirror”: “I think it is a part of my heart. But it flickers."
Vocabulary lists containing caesura
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Reading: Literature - Poetry - High School
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Lesson 1
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Two of the best are Flow State and Caesura Letter.
From The Verge • Aug. 21, 2020
In the pieces titled "Caesura," the paper has been creased or accordion-folded vertically down the middle, and fine, vein-like fissures often run counter to the central axis.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2017
The Caesura usually occurs in the third foot; less frequently in the fourth.
From New Latin Grammar by Bennett, Charles E. (Charles Edwin)
Caesura, 366, 8: —— in dactylic hexameter 368, 3. calcar, decl.,
From New Latin Grammar by Bennett, Charles E. (Charles Edwin)
That Caesura, or breathing place in the midst of the verse, neither Italian nor Spanish have; the French, and we, never almost fail of.
From English literary criticism by Various
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
