Catalexis, also known as truncation, is the omission of the final syllables in a line of verse. A line missing one syllable is catalectic, two is brachycatalectic, a regular line is acatalectic, and one with extra syllables is hypercatalectic.
Catalexis, or truncation, is the omission of final syllables in a verse line. A catalectic line is one syllable short, brachycatalectic is two short, and acatalectic lines are complete; hypercatalectic lines have extra syllables.
| Front | catalexis or truncation |
|---|---|
| Back | the omission of the last syllables from a line in a passage of generally regular verse such a line is said to be catalectic when it is one syllable short, brachycatalectic when it's two shorts the regular lines of the passage are acatalectic a line with one or two syllables in excess of the regular number would be hypercatalectic |
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