scansion

American  

[skan-shuhn] / ˈskæn ʃən /

noun

Prosody.

1. the metrical analysis of verse. The usual marks for scansion are ˘ for a short or unaccented syllable, ¯ or ′ for a long or accented syllable, ^ for a rest, | for a foot division, and ‖ for a caesura or pause.

---

scansion British  

/ ˈskænʃən /

noun

1. the analysis of the metrical structure of verse See quantity stress

---

Etymology

Origin of scansion

1645–55; < Late Latin scānsiōn- (stem of scānsiō ), Latin: a climbing, equivalent to scāns ( us ) (past participle of scandere to climb) + -iōn- -ion

Explanation

Scansion is the process of figuring out which syllables should be stressed when you read a poem. If you practice scansion in English class, you'll learn to determine a poem's meter based on the patterns of these syllables. Scansion is a fancy literary term that simply means discovering the meter (or underlying structure) of a poem by marking where the stresses naturally fall. If you're using scansion to analyze verse, you can say you're scanning the poem. Formally, scansion involves making special marks used above both stressed and unstressed syllables, allowing you to easily see repeated patterns. Since the 1670s, scansion has meant "marking verse in metric feet," from a Latin root meaning "to climb."

Example Sentences

Clarity for lyricists has to refer not just to scansion and word choice, but also how their songs are communicated.

From Washington Post • Jul. 29, 2022

While other poets might spend years studying the scansion of poetry, she said she’s not as interested in form.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 9, 2021

You see why she would become a like-minded choreographer — in scansion, structure and thought — for Mr. Glass.

From New York Times • Oct. 31, 2018

These lyrics, also taken from the oral histories, have a Brechtian disregard for rhyme or scansion.

From Economist • Jun. 8, 2018

It was a slip of yellow note paper, checked along the margin with groups of rhyming words and scansion marks, and in the middle this single verse.

From Hidden Water by Dixon, Maynard