catalectic Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun (prosody) a line of verse that lacks a syllable in the last metrical foot
  2. adjective (verse) metrically incomplete; especially lacking one or more syllables in the final metrical foot

WordNet

Cat`a*lec"tic adjective
Etymology
L. catalecticus, Gr. incomplete, fr. to leave off; down, wholly + to stop.
Definitions
  1. (Pros.) Wanting a syllable at the end, or terminating in an imperfect foot; as, a catalectic verse.
  2. (Photog. & Chem.) Incomplete; partial; not affecting the whole of a substance. Abney.

Webster 1913