catalectic etymology

Etymology and Meaning

The word "catalectic" comes from the Greek word "katalektikos," meaning "incomplete" or "cut short." In the context of poetry and literature, catalectic refers to a metrical line that is shorter than the standard or expected length.

Origin

The concept of catalectic lines originated in classical Greek and Roman poetry. In Greek poetry, for example, a standard iambic hexameter line consists of six feet, each with an iamb (a short syllable followed by a long syllable). A catalectic hexameter line would have five feet instead of six, with the last foot being incomplete.

Example

A catalectic line in English iambic pentameter would have ten syllables instead of the standard eleven. For instance, the first line of William Shakespeare's Sonnet 18, "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" is catalectic because it lacks the final unstressed syllable:

Shall I compare thee to a summer's day (10 syllables)

Significance

Catalectic lines can add variety and interest to poetry. By deviating from the expected meter, poets can create unexpected rhythms and emphasize certain words or phrases. Catalectic lines can also serve as a transitional element between different sections of a poem or to create a sense of closure or resolution.

Additional Information

• The opposite of catalectic is "hypercatalectic," which refers to a line that is one foot longer than the standard length.
• A "truncated line" is a line that is even shorter than a catalectic line, dropping more than one foot.
• The term "catalexis" is sometimes used synonymously with "catalectic," but it more specifically refers to the omission of the final syllable or foot.

catalectic relate terms

• cata

  Etymology The word cata is derived from the Greek prefix κατά kata which means

• catapult

  Etymology The word catapult comes from the Greek words ката kata meaning d

• catachresis

  Etymology From Late Latin catachrēsis from Greek κατάχρησις katachrēsis

• catalogue

  Etymology The word catalogue originates from the Greek word katálogos which means

• catalectic

  Etymology and Meaning The word catalectic comes from the Greek word katalektikos mea

• laches

  Etymology Old French from Anglo French from Old English lahhs slow sluggish lazy

• languid

  Etymology Old French languede Latin languidus Proto Indo European lengʰ to be l

• languish

  Etymology The word languish comes from the Old French word languir which in turn is

• lease

  Etymology Lease is derived from the Old French word less meaning to let or to relea

• lessor

  Etymology Old English læssan comparative of līt meaning smaller or lesser

• lush

  Etymology The word lush comes from the Middle English word lusche which means soft

• relax

  Etymology The word relax is derived from the Latin word relaxare which means to lo

• release

  Etymology The word release comes from the Middle English word relesen which in turn

• relish

  Etymology Old French relesche Germanic laikijaz Proto Indo European lik to lick

• slack

  Etymology The word slack has Old English and Middle Low German roots Old English s

• sleep

  Etymology Sleep comes from the Middle English word slēpen which is derived from the

• pentameter

  Etymology Pentameter comes from the Greek words pente five and metron measure M

• algebra

  Etymology The word algebra comes from Arabic الجبر al jabr meaning reunion

• Maranatha

  Etymology The word Maranatha is a transliteration of the Aramaic phrase Marana tha w

• equivocal

  Etymology The word equivocal is derived from the Latin word aequus meaning equal

• kudos

  Etymology Late Latin quod deus meaning because God wills it as God wills it Mediev

• discretion

  Etymology The word discretion comes from the Middle English word discrecioun which

• radical

  Etymology Derived from the Latin word radix meaning root Meaning Fundamental

• lieutenant

  Etymology The word lieutenant comes from the Old French word lieutenant which in tur

• colonel

  Etymology of Colonel The word colonel comes ultimately from the Latin term columna