Enjambing

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. The continuation of a sentence or phrase without a pause beyond the end of a line, couplet, or stanza in poetry
2. A technique where the meaning flows over from one line of verse to the next without terminal punctuation
3. The process of carrying a thought or idea across the line break in poetry, creating a sense of continuity and movement

Etymology: The French verb "enjamber" means "to stride over" or "to straddle," and it is built from "en," "in," plus "jambe," "leg," so its literal sense is something like "to set a leg in or over." English borrowed it as "enjamb," and the poetic sense grew from that picture of a sentence stepping across the line break into the next line rather than halting at the edge of the verse. The "-ing" ending is the ordinary English suffix that turns the verb into a present participle or gerund, so "enjambing" describes the act of carrying a sentence over the end of a line. The word's deepest link is therefore to the body: a poem's syntax strides past its boundary the way a walker strides over an obstacle, which is exactly what the French verb had meant from the start.

Synonyms: continuing, flowing