catalectic

[ kat-l-ek-tik ]
/ ˌkæt lˈɛk tɪk /
Prosody

adjective

(of a line of verse) lacking part of the last foot; metrically incomplete, as the second line of One more unfortunate,/Weary of breath.

noun

a catalectic line of verse.
Compare acatalectic, hypercatalectic.

Origin of catalectic

1580–90; < Late Latin catalēcticus < Greek katalēktikós incomplete, equivalent to katalēk-, variant stem of katalḗgein to leave off ( kata- cata- + lḗgein to end) + -tikos -tic

Words nearby catalectic

catafalque, catagen, catagenesis, catalan, catalase, catalectic, catalepsy, catalexis, catalin, catalina island, catalo

Example sentences from the Web for catalectic

  • Here the alternate lines are catalectic, both light syllables being wanting.

    English Verse |Raymond MacDonald Alden, Ph.D.

  • In like manner the catalectic iambic tetrameter is broken up by inserted rhyme into two short verses, viz.

    A History of English Versification |Jakob Schipper

British Dictionary definitions for catalectic

catalectic
/ (ˌkætəˈlɛktɪk) /

adjective

prosody (of a line of verse) having an incomplete final foot

Word Origin for catalectic

C16: via Late Latin from Greek katalēktikos incomplete, from katalēgein, from kata- off + lēgein to stop