caesura etymology

Etymology:

• Latin caesūra, "cutting, a pause"
• Ultimately from Greek κεασις (keasis), "a cutting, a break"

Meaning:

• In poetry, a pause or break in the middle of a line of verse.
• In music, a pause or rest between two movements.

Origin:

The concept of the caesura originated in ancient Greek poetry, where it referred to the natural break that occurs at the end of a metrical foot (a group of syllables forming a unit of rhythm). In Latin, the term caesūra was used to describe a similar break in the middle of a hexameter line.

Over time, the caesura became a common feature of English poetry, particularly in iambic pentameter (a rhythm consisting of five pairs of unstressed and stressed syllables). The caesura typically occurs after the fourth syllable of a line, creating a natural pause or break in the rhythm.

The caesura serves several functions in poetry:

• It breaks up the monotony of a long line of verse.
• It allows for emphasis on certain words or phrases.
• It creates a sense of movement or momentum.
• It can help to convey emotion or atmosphere.

Famous examples of caesuras in English poetry include:

• "But soft! what light through yonder window breaks?" (Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare)
• "Two roads diverged in a yellow wood" (The Road Not Taken, by Robert Frost)
• "Do not go gentle into that good night" (Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night, by Dylan Thomas)

caesura relate terms

• abscise

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• biocide

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• caesarian

  Etymology and Meaning The term caesarian originates from the Latin word caesarius w

• caesura

  Etymology Latin caesūra cutting a pause Ultimately from Greek κεασις keasis

• cement

  Etymology The word cement comes from the Latin word caementum which refers to broken

• chisel

  Etymology The word chisel is derived from the Late Latin word cisellus which is the

• circumcision

  Etymology Latin circumcisio from circumcidere to cut around Proto Indo European root

• concise

  Concise Etymology From Latin concisus past participle of concidere meaning to

• decide

  Etymology Decide derived from the Latin verb decidere which means to cut off to

• decision

  Etymology Late Middle English from Anglo Norman French descisioun from Latin decisio

• excise

  Etymology Middle English excise from Middle French excise from Latin excisus past p

• excision

  Etymology The word excision originates from the Latin word excīdere meaning to cu

• felicide

  Etymology Feli from Latin felis cat cide from Latin cida killer Meanin

• filicide

  Etymology Latin filius son cide killing Meaning The act of killing one

• floricide

  Etymology Floricide is a portmanteau of the Latin words flos flower and caedere t

• fungicide

  Etymology and Meaning Fungicide is a portmanteau of two Latin words Fungus meaning

• gallinicide

  Etymology Origin Late 19th century From New Latin gallinicida from Latin gallina he

• germicide

  Etymology The word germicide is derived from two Latin words Germ Meaning seed or

• herbicide

  Etymology The word herbicide is derived from two Latin words herba meaning herb

• homicide

  Etymology Derived from the Latin words homo man and caedere to kill Originally

• incise

  Etymology The word incise originates from the Latin word incidere which means to c

• incision

  Etymology From Latin incīsus past participle of incīdere to cut into From in

• incisor

  Etymology of Incisor The word incisor is derived from the Latin word incisus whic

• infanticide

  Etymology Latin infans infant cide act of killing Meaning Infanticide re

• legicide

  Etymology and Meaning The term legicide comes from Latin Legis noun meaning law

• liberticide

  Etymology The word liberticide is derived from the Latin words liber meaning free

• libricide

  Etymology The term libricide is derived from Latin liber book Latin cide

• matricide

  Etymology From Latin mātrīcīdium from mātrīcīda from mātrī genitive of māt

• patricide

  Etymology Patri Latin Father cide Latin Killing Meaning The killing of one s

• pesticide

  Etymology The word pesticide is derived from Latin Pest from Latin pestis meanin

• precise

  Precise Etymology Etymology refers to the origin and development of words Precise etymol

• precision

  Etymology The word precision derives from the Latin word praecisio which means a cu

• scissors

  Etymology The word scissors is derived from the Old French word ciseor pair of scis

• senicide

  Etymology The word senicide is derived from Latin senex genitive senis meanin

• suicide

  Etymology The word suicide is derived from the Latin roots sui self caedere to

• brake

  Etymology The word brake has several etymological origins German brechen meaning

• break

  Etymology Middle English breken breken Old English brecan Proto Germanic brekan Pro

• baker

  Etymology The word baker comes from the Middle English bakere which in turn is deri

• inflection

  Etymology The word inflection comes from the Latin word inflectere which means to

• prosody

  Etymology and Origin Prosody comes from the Greek word prosōdía meaning accent m

• pause

  Etymology The word pause originates from the Greek word pauein which means to cease

• suspension

  Etymology The word suspension derives from the Latin word suspendere which means to

• intermission

  Etymology From Latin inter between missio sending dismissal Meaning A b

• trespass

  Etymology of Trespass The word trespass originated from the Old French term trespas

• mantle

  Etymology The word mantle derives from the Middle English term mantel which origina