Catalectic (Adjective)
Meaning
(verse) metrically incomplete; especially lacking one or more syllables in the final metrical foot.
Classification
All adjective clusters.
Examples
- The poet's use of catalectic lines added a sense of urgency to the verse, as if the words were tumbling out too quickly to be contained.
- The catalectic final foot of the sonnet gave it a sense of abruptness, underscoring the speaker's emotional turmoil.
- In the ancient Greek poem, the catalectic lines were used to create a sense of breathlessness, mirroring the speaker's frantic search for answers.
- The poet's deliberate use of catalectic lines created a sense of tension, drawing the reader's attention to the incomplete thoughts and emotions.
- The catalectic verse form was well-suited to the poet's themes of fragmentation and dislocation, emphasizing the disjointed nature of modern life.