[2539.] A verse is said to be catalectic in syllabam, in disyllabum, or in trisyllabum, according to the number of syllables remaining in the last foot. Thus, the dactylic tetrameter – ⏑ ⏑ | – ⏑ ⏑ | – ⏑ ⏑ | – is catalectic in syllabam, but – ⏑ ⏑ | – ⏑ ⏑ | – ⏑ ⏑ | – ⏑ is catalectic in disyllabum.
[2540.] Pauses. Theoretically all the feet (or dipodies; see [2531]) into which a verse is divided must be equal in duration. Hence, when a final syllable (or two final syllables) is lost by catalexis, compensation is made for the loss by a pause at the end of the verse. Such a pause, which serves to fill out the last measure, answers to a rest in music.
A pause of one mora is often indicated by the sign ⌃, and one of two morae by ⌅.
[2541.] Syncope is the omission of one or more arses in the body of a verse. Compensation is made for the suppression of an arsis by protracting ([2516]) the preceding thesis.
[2542.] Caesura and Diaeresis. A Caesūra (literally a cutting, from caedo, I cut) is the break in a verse produced by the ending of a word within a foot. When the end of a word coincides with the end of a foot, the break is called a Diaeresis (Gr. διαίρεσις, a separating). A caesura is marked ‖, a diaeresis #.
The word caesura is often loosely used to include both caesura proper and diaeresis.
[2543.] Strictly speaking, there is a caesura (or diaeresis, as the case may be) wherever a word ends within a verse; but the main incision in the verse is so much more important than the rest that it is often called the principal caesura, or simply the caesura.
[2544.] Caesuras are named according to their position in the verse; thus a caesura after the third half-foot (i.e. in the second foot) is called trithemimeral (from Gr. τριθημιμερής, containing three halves), one after the fifth half-foot (i.e. in the third foot) penthemimeral (Gr. πενθημιμερής, consisting of five halves), one after the seventh half-foot (i.e. in the fourth foot) hephthemimeral (Gr. ἑφθημιμερής), &c.
The Latin names caesūra sēmiternāria (= the trithemimeral caesura), sēmiquīnāria (= the penthemimeral), sēmiseptēnāria (= the hepthemimeral), &c., are sometimes used. For the masculine and feminine caesuras, see [2557].