Caesurae

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A rhythmic pause or break in a line of poetry, typically found within or at the end of a metrical foot
2. A significant interruption in the flow of a verse that can enhance meaning or emotional effect
3. A period of silence or rest in a poetic line which invites reflection and deepens the overall impact of the work

Etymology: The Romans cut their poetry with a word that meant a physical act of cutting. "Caesura" comes from Latin "caesūra", "cutting" or "hewing", formed from "caesus", the past participle of "caedere", "to cut down" or "hew". A Roman reader meeting the term would have pictured an axe or a blade, not a pause in a verse. The metaphor is easy to follow once you see it. A line of verse was felt as something that could be split at a certain point, and the break where the reader briefly halts was the place where the line was, in effect, cut in two. English took the Latin term over with its literal sense intact, and the poetic meaning grew out of that image of division. "Caesurae" is simply the plural of "caesura", so it refers to several such breaks, or to the breaks across a set of lines.