catalexis

[ kat-l-ek-sis ]

/ ˌkæt lˈɛk sɪs /

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.

Nearby words

catalan,
catalase,
catalectic,
catalepsy,
cataleptic,
catalin,
catalina island,
catalo,
catalog,
catalog code

Origin of catalexis

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