cae·su·ra also ce·su·ra (s -zh r  , -zr)n. pl. cae·su·ras also ce·su·ras or cae·su·rae also ce·su·rae (-zh r , -zr) 1. A pause in a line of verse dictated by sense or natural speech rhythm rather than by metrics. 2. A pause or interruption, as in conversation: After another weighty caesura the senator resumed speaking. 3. In Latin and Greek prosody, a break in a line caused by the ending of a word within a foot, especially when this coincides with a sense division. 4. Music A pause or breathing at a point of rhythmic division in a melody. [Latin caes  ra, a cutting, from caesus, past participle of caedere, to cut off; see ka-id- in Indo-European roots.]cae·su ral, cae·suric adj. |
caesura [sɪˈzjʊərə]
n pl -ras, -rae [-riː]
1. (Literature / Poetry) (in modern prosody) a pause, esp for sense, usually near the middle of a verse line. Usual symbol
2. (Literature / Poetry) (in classical prosody) a break between words within a metrical foot, usually in the third or fourth foot of the line
[from Latin, literally: a cutting, from caedere to cut]
caesural adj
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
| Noun | 1. | caesura - a pause or interruption (as in a conversation); "after an ominous caesura the preacher continued" pause, suspension, intermission, interruption, break - a time interval during which there is a temporary cessation of something |
| 2. | caesura - a break or pause (usually for sense) in the middle of a verse line prosody, inflection - the patterns of stress and intonation in a language |
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