noun
also ce·su·ra sē]ˈz(h)]u̇rə, sə̇], ]ü- also ]zˈy]
( plural caesuras -rəz ; or caesu·rae -(ˌ)rē)
Etymology: Latin, cutting off, from caedere to cut — more at concise
1. in Greek and Latin prosody
a. : a break in the flow of sound in a verse caused by the ending of a word within a foot (arma vi]rumque ca]no]] Tro]jae qui] primus ab]oris) — symbol ]] — usually distinguished from diaeresis ; see hephthemimeral caesura , penthemimeral caesura , trithemimeral caesura
b. obsolete : a lengthening of the last syllable of a word by the break in the verse
c. : diaeresis — see bucolic caesura
2. in modern prosody : a break in the flow of sound in a line of verse occasioned usually by a rhetorical pause and occurring usually at about the middle of the verse (of man's ] first dis]obe]dience ]] and \] the fruit) — see epic caesura , feminine caesura , masculine caesura
3. : stop , break , interruption
the caesura between vol. I and vol. II — Erich Dinkler
it was a caesura , a pause between the last classes and the afternoon exercises — Nathaniel Burt
the trenchant caesura which occurs between the apprehension of data and the judgment — Mary W. Hess
4. : a pause marking a rhythmic point of division in a melody