hemistich

[ hem-i-stik ]

/ ˈhɛm ɪˌstɪk /

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noun Prosody.

the exact or approximate half of a stich, or poetic verse or line, especially as divided by a caesura or the like.

an incomplete line, or a line of less than the usual length.

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Origin of hemistich

1565–75; <Late Latin hēmistichium<Greek hēmistíchion a half-verse. See hemi-, stich¹

OTHER WORDS FROM hemistich

he·mis·ti·chal

[huh-mis-ti-kuhl, hem-i-stik-uhl], /həˈmɪs tɪ kəl, ˈhɛm ɪˌstɪk əl/, adjective

Words nearby hemistich

hemisect, hemisphere, hemispheric, hemispherical, hemispheroid, hemistich, hemiterpene, hemitrope, hemizygote, hemizygous, hemline

How to use hemistich in a sentence

The initial unstressed syllable of the first hemistich is lacking in approximately one-third of the lines of the Laberinto.
Modern Spanish Lyrics|Various
The structure of the hemistich in the normal alliterative line.
A History of English Versification|Jakob Schipper
The strength of a line in our language consists principally in saying something in each hemistich.
A Philosophical Dictionary, Volume 5 (of 10)|Franois-Marie Arouet (AKA Voltaire)
Here the three types only which we have mentioned occur in the second hemistich.
A History of English Versification|Jakob Schipper

This line is apparently imperfect, metrically, for the second hemistich seems to be wanting.
Genesis A|Anonymous

British Dictionary definitions for hemistich

hemistich

/ (ˈhɛmɪˌstɪk) /

noun

prosody a half line of verse

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012