CAESURA, a break within a foot (Gr. cutting) caused by the end of a word, with or without pause in the sense ; to be distinguished from a diaeresis (8eaipEoas), which is a pause be tween feet. English examples are: The proper studly ? of I mankind I is man (caesura).
And born I to write, II converse, I and live I at ease (diaeresis) .
A line will often have many caesuras, as: arma vijrumque calno Troliae qui I primus abi oris which (as shown) has one in every foot except the sixth; but the term is generally employed of the principal caesura; i.e., that in or about the middle of the line, in this case, the one between cano and Troiae. The parts into which such a caesura divides the verse are called cola (1c&Xa, members). Practically every dactylic hexameter and every iambic trimeter has a caesura, the former in the third foot (penthemimeral) or in the second (trithemimeral), usually combined with one in the fourth (hephthemimeral) ; the latter, in the third or fourth foot. In dactyls a caesura is called masculine if it comes after the long syllable, feminine if after the first short one (see VERSE) .