caesura
noun
-ˈzhu̇r-
Did you know?
Caesuras (or caesurae) are those slight pauses one makes as one reads verse. While it may seem that their most obvious role is to emphasize the metrical construction of the verse, more often we need these little stops (which may be, but are not necessarily, set off by punctuation) to introduce the cadence and phrasing of natural speech into the metrical scheme. The word caesura, borrowed from Late Latin, is ultimately from Latin caedere meaning "to cut." Nearly as old as the 450-year-old poetry senses is the general meaning of "a break or interruption."
Examples of caesura in a Sentence
Literary Hub, 20 May 2025
With National Socialism from 1933, however, a caesura occurred that is still unparalleled today.
—Uwe Westphal, Sun Sentinel, 16 July 2024
During the concert Friday night, the important silences between movements — caesuras central to the impact of the music — were consistently broken by applause.
—Luke Schulze, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Mar. 2023
Nearly every line is interrupted with a caesura (a period, em dash, comma or question mark), mirroring a zigzagging mind.
—Mark Wunderlich Victoria Chang, New York Times, 20 Oct. 2022
However, with a likely yearslong caesura between Muti’s tenure and, well, whoever’s, why get ahead of ourselves?
—Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 9 Sep. 2022
Details like these are scattered throughout the first half of the novella, partly so Wallace can establish a generational caesura between Fogle and his father, the Reagan-campaign contributor.
—Jon Baskin, The New Yorker, 27 July 2022
There's a caesura, and then all the hands in the congregation go up.
—Michael Paterniti, GQ, 26 June 2018
Cite this Entry
“Caesura.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/caesura. Accessed 27 Mar. 2026.
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caesura
noun
-ˈzhu̇r-
