caesura
noun
cae·su·ra
| \ si-ˈzyu̇r-ə
, -ˈzhu̇r-
\
, -ˈzhu̇r-
\
plural caesuras
or caesurae\ si-ˈzyu̇r-(ˌ)ē
, -ˈzhu̇r- \
, -ˈzhu̇r- \
Definition of caesura
1
in modern prosody
: a usually rhetorical break in the flow of sound in the middle of a line of verse
2
Greek & 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
a caesura between the movie and its sequel
4
: a pause marking a rhythmic point of division in a melody
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Other Words from caesura
caesural
\ si-ˈzyu̇r-əl
, -ˈzhu̇r- \
adjective
, -ˈzhu̇r- \
adjective
Examples of caesura in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
There's a caesura, and then all the hands in the congregation go up. — Michael Paterniti, GQ, "Jimmy Carter for Higher Office," 26 June 2018 Mr. Korstvedt, the Bruckner Society president, pointed to the Fifth as an important caesura, concluding Bruckner’s earlier period with its daring fugal finale. — David Allen, New York Times, "A Long Party of Concerts to Celebrate Anton Bruckner," 13 Jan. 2017 Jonathan Waldorf, 11, who was missing the sixth grade that day to attend the match, found the action on the V.I.P. monitors fascinating, including the tense caesurae between moves. — John Leland, New York Times, "World Chess Championship Kicks Off With V.I.P. Treatment," 11 Nov. 2016These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'caesura.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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