scansion

[ skan-shuh n ]
/ ˈskæn ʃən /

noun Prosody.

the metrical analysis of verse. The usual marks for scansion are ˘ 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.

Origin of scansion

1645–55; < Late Latin scānsiōn- (stem of scānsiō), Latin: a climbing, equivalent to scāns(us) (past participle of scandere to climb) + -iōn- -ion

Words nearby scansion

scanning electron microscope, scanning force microscope, scanning line, scanning probe microscope, scanning tunneling microscope, scansion, scansorial, scant, scantling, scantlings, scanty

Example sentences from the Web for scansion

British Dictionary definitions for scansion

scansion
/ (ˈskænʃən) /

noun

the analysis of the metrical structure of verse See quantity (def. 7), stress (def. 4)

Word Origin for scansion

C17: from Latin: climbing up, from scandere to climb, scan