caesura Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a pause or interruption (as in a conversation)
    • after an ominous caesura the preacher continued
  2. noun a break or pause (usually for sense) in the middle of a verse line

WordNet

Cæ*su"ra noun (Also<
  • Caesura
  • Cæsura
)
Etymology
L. caesura a cutting off, a division, stop, fr. caedere, caesum, to cut off. See Concise.
Wordforms
plural E Cæsuras L Cæsuræ
Definitions
  1. 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. ✍ In the following line the cæsura is between study and of.
    The prop | er stud | y || of | mankind | is man.

Webster 1913