CAESURA

caesura

(noun) a break or pause (usually for sense) in the middle of a verse line

caesura

(noun) a pause or interruption (as in a conversation); “after an ominous caesura the preacher continued”

Source: WordNet® 3.1

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Etymology

Noun

caesura (plural caesuras or caesurae)

A pause or interruption in a poem, music, building, or other work of art.

(Classical prosody) Using two words to divide a metrical foot.

(typography) The caesura mark ‖ or ||.

(rarely) A break of an era or other measure of history and time; where one era ends and another begins.

Usage notes

In poetry bearing caesuras, it is marked by a double vertical line.

Synonyms

• (typography): virgule (in its obsolete form as a single slash)

Source: Wiktionary

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Cæ*su"ra, n.; pl. E. Cæsuras (, L. Cæsuræ ( Etym: [L. caesura a cutting off, a division, stop, fr. caedere, caesum, to cut off. See Concise.]

Definition: A metrical break in a verse, occurring in the middle of a foot and commonly near the middle of the verse; a sense pause in the middle of a foot. Also, a long syllable on which the cæsural accent rests, or which is used as a foot.

Note: In the following line the cæsura is between study and of. The prop | er stud | y || of | mankind | is man.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition

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