What does cesure mean?
Cesure is an uncommon English noun and a less usual spelling of caesura, denoting a pause or break in speech, music, or rhythm. Its most characteristic use is in poetry and prosody, where it names a deliberate pause within a line, often at a grammatical or rhetorical boundary. A cesure need not be an actual silence: it can be created by a change in pace, punctuation, lineation, or the relationship between words. In music, the term may likewise indicate a break or separation between phrases. Writers may use cesure when they want a more compact or formal-looking form, although caesura remains much more familiar in literary discussion and dictionaries. The word is consequently associated with attentive reading, close analysis, and the interpretation of rhythm rather than ordinary conversation. Knowing it helps reveal that punctuation and line breaks do more than separate words: they can organize meaning, sound, and dramatic effect within a line.
nounA pause or break in speech, music, or rhythm, especially a deliberate break within a line of verse. It is an uncommon spelling variant of caesura.
- A pause or break in continuous speech, music, or rhythm, especially a deliberate break within a line of verse.
"The poet placed a cesure after the fourth foot, allowing the final phrase to receive greater emphasis."
"A subtle cesure at the end of the first clause gives the sentence a reflective quality."
"The composer's abrupt cesure in the music gave the transition a dramatic edge."
This is the regular plural, although the alternative spelling caesuras is more familiar.
"The scholar identified several cesures within the poem's longest line."
A cesure is the small breath that can change the whole line of verse.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of cesure
Cesure entered English from French césure, which was borrowed from Latin caesura. Latin caesura literally meant a cutting and came from caedere, “to cut,” before developing the sense of a break or pause in speech and verse. Its English relatives include caesura and caesural, while incision and excision continue the same Latin root in other contexts.
How cesure is actually used
Relatively uncommon in contemporary English and associated with formal or technical discussion. The spelling caesura is much more familiar, particularly in literary studies and prosody.
Easily confused with cesure
Caesura is the standard, much more common spelling of the same word; cesure is an accepted alternative form.
Censure means to condemn or criticize, whereas cesure denotes a pause or break in speech, music, or verse.