feminine ending

American  

noun

1. Prosody. an unaccented syllable at the close of a line of poetry, often one that is added to the metrical pattern as an extra syllable.

2. Grammar. a termination or final syllable marking a feminine word: In Latin -ā is a feminine ending for the ablative case in the singular.

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feminine ending British  

noun

1. prosody an unstressed syllable at the end of a line of verse

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Etymology

Origin of feminine ending

First recorded in 1890–95

Example Sentences

Fay, Amy, account of Liszt, 217. feminine ending, 57.

From Music: An Art and a Language by Spalding, Walter Raymond

A simple check-mark in the sixth or seventh column indicates respectively a case of enjambement or of feminine ending.

From English Verse Specimens Illustrating its Principles and History by Alden, Raymond MacDonald

This last stress, however, is not, as a rule as strong as the others, the effect being somewhat like that of a feminine ending.

From The Nibelungenlied by Shumway, Daniel Bussier

Poet, Poetess The tendency to increase the number of nouns with the feminine ending ess should be checked.

From Slips of Speech : a Helpful Book for Everyone Who Aspires to Correct the Everyday Errors of Speaking by Bechtel, John Hendricks

The Hebrew form of the word, however, is not quite the same, the Assyrian feminine ending being absent.

From The Old Testament In the Light of The Historical Records and Legends of Assyria and Babylonia by Pinches, Theophilus Goldridge