What does ictus mean?
Ictus is a learned noun with two principal modern uses. In discussions of poetry, metre, and speech rhythm, it means a stress or accent placed on a syllable or rhythmic beat. In medicine, it denotes a stroke, particularly a sudden cerebrovascular event caused by interrupted blood supply or bleeding in the brain. The word can also refer more generally to a beat or throb, as in the established anatomical phrase ictus cordis. Ictus is uncommon in everyday English and sounds technical or literary; writers about metre often use it where “stress” or “accent” would be clearer to a general reader. Medical writers use it as a formal synonym for “stroke,” while “apoplexy” is now historical in most usage. Because the same word can refer to both a pulse and a poetic pulse, it is especially memorable in discussions of rhythm.
nounA learned noun for a stroke or beat and, in rhythmic analysis, the stress or accent assigned to a syllable or beat. In medicine, it commonly refers to a sudden cerebrovascular event, such as an ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke.
- A sudden cerebrovascular event, especially an ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke.
- A stress or accent on a syllable in verse, speech, or another rhythmic structure.
- A beat, throb, or pulsation, especially in established anatomical or physiological terminology.
"The poet places a strong ictus on the final syllable to emphasize the turn in meaning."
"The scansion gives each line a pronounced ictus at its midpoint."
"The episode was diagnosed as a cerebral ictus caused by an interrupted blood supply."
The form ictus serves as both the singular and plural in English; ictuses is also used.
"The scan marks three separate ictus in the line."
Ictus means both the beat of a pulse and the stress of a verse—fittingly, it began as something “struck.”
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does ictus come from?
The English noun comes from Latin ictus, “a stroke or beat,” the perfect passive participle of icere, “to strike.” Latin already applied ictus to a metrical accent, so the prosodic sense existed within the classical grammatical tradition before English borrowed the term. The underlying Indo-European root is commonly identified with *weik-, “to strike or fight,” connecting the word with the Latin victor and vincere family.
Related word forms
How ictus is actually used
Ictus is uncommon in everyday English and has a learned, technical, or literary character. In discussions of metre, “stress” or “accent” may be more accessible; in medicine, it is a formal term for a cerebrovascular stroke, while “apoplexy” is now largely historical in general usage.