catalexis

[kat-l-ek-sis]

noun, plural cat·a·lex·es

[kat-lek-seez] /ˌkætˈlɛk siz/. Prosody.

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.

Origin of catalexis

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