catalectic
[ kat-l-ek-tik ]
/ ˌkæt lˈɛk tɪk /
adjective
(of a line of verse) lacking part of the last foot; metrically incomplete, as the second line of One more unfortunate,/Weary of breath.
noun
a catalectic line of verse.
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Compare acatalectic, hypercatalectic.
Words nearby catalectic
catafalque, catagen, catagenesis, Catalan, catalase, catalectic, catalepsy, catalexis, Çatalhüyük, Catalin, Catalina Island
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for catalectic
Here the alternate lines are catalectic, both light syllables being wanting.
English Verse|Raymond MacDonald Alden, Ph.D.In like manner the catalectic iambic tetrameter is broken up by inserted rhyme into two short verses, viz.
A History of English Versification|Jakob Schipper
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British Dictionary definitions for catalectic
catalectic
/ (ˌkætəˈlɛktɪk) /
adjective
prosody (of a line of verse) having an incomplete final foot
Word Origin for catalectic
C16: via Late Latin from Greek katalēktikos incomplete, from katalēgein, from kata- off + lēgein to stop
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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