[cae.su.ra] n, pl -suras or -su.rae [LL, fr. L, act of cutting, fr. caedere to cut] (1556) 1 in modern prosody: a usu. rhetorical break in the flow of sound in the middle of a line of verse
2. in Greek and Latin prosody: a break in the flow of sound in a verse caused by the ending of a word within a foot
3: break, interruption
4: a pause marking a rhythmic point of division in a melody -- cae.su.ral adj