ictus

American  

[ik-tuhs] / ˈɪk təs /

noun

• ictuses,
  plural
• ictus
  plural

1. Prosody. rhythmical or metrical stress.

2. Pathology.

   1. an epileptic seizure.

   2. a stroke, especially a cerebrovascular accident.

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ictus British  

/ ˈɪktəs /

noun

1. prosody metrical or rhythmic stress in verse feet, as contrasted with the stress accent on words

2. med a sudden attack or stroke

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• ictal
  adjective
• ictic
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• ictus
  plural
• ictuses
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of ictus

1700–10; < Latin: stroke, thrust, equivalent to īc ( ere ) to strike with a weapon + -tus suffix of v. action

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

ictus

Havena I missed the chance to turn out as clarissimus an ictus, as auld Grunwiggin himself?—Whatfor dinna ye speak, Mr. Butler?

From The Heart of Mid-Lothian, Volume 2 by Sir Walter Scott

Lúcius; by metrical accent the ictus or beat of the verse, which in the Greek rhythms implies a long quantity, but in the Saturnian measure has nothing to do with quantity.

From The History of Roman Literature From the earliest period to the death of Marcus Aurelius by Charles Thomas Cruttwell

Secondly, heredity, which lays its heavy ictus upon some neglected forms of activity and fails of all support for others, has been ignored.

From Youth: Its Education, Regimen, and Hygiene by G. Stanley Hall

They must contain good mouth-filling words, with the vowels in the right place, and the rhythmic ictus at proper distances for chest and hand to keep true time.

From The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858 by Various

The conclusion is that "ictus in conflict requires a pitch-accent."

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

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