/skan"sheuhn/ , n. Pros.
the metrical analysis of verse. The usual marks for scansion are breve for a short or unaccented syllable, ¯ or ' for a long or accented syllable, ^ for a rest, | for a foot division, and || for a caesura or pause.
[ 1645-55; scansion- (s. of scansio ), L: a climbing, equiv. to scans ( us ) (ptp. of scandere to climb) + -ion- -ION ]