1. poetry pause in line of verse: a pause in a line of poetry, especially to allow its sense to be made clear or to follow the rhythms of natural speech, often near the middle of the line
2. poetry break in line of verse: in classical poetry, a break between two words that are part of the same unit of rhythm foot, usually near the middle of the line
3. music interruption in music: a brief interruption in a musical phrase
4. pause: a pause or break in speech or conversation
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formal
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The Latin word caedere, "to cut," from which caesura is derived, is also the source of English chisel, concise, decide, excise2, incise, precise, and scissors.
