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Catalexis trimeter

Meter
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A trimeter line missing its final syllable, creating a truncated rhythm

Detailed Definition
Catalexis trimeter refers to a three-foot metrical line that is catalectic—missing its final unstressed syllable—resulting in an abrupt or emphatic ending; common in trochaic or dactylic trimeter, this truncation creates rhythmic tension and forward momentum, often used in dramatic or lyrical contexts to heighten emotional intensity or signal closure.
Example
Example in poetry:
A trimeter line missing its final unstressed syllable, such as “Bold lion, fierce and—” (catalectic iambic trimeter); Catalexis in “The Charge of the Light Brigade”: “Cannon to right of them” (trochaic tetrameter catalectic, but analogous in trimeter); A line like “Sing now, O muse—” ending abruptly on a stressed syllable in trimeter; Emily Dickinson’s use of catalectic trimeter in hymn meter: “Because I could not stop—”
Additional Notes
Catalexis trimeter describes a three-foot line missing its final unstressed syllable, creating a truncated or abrupt rhythmic effect; common in trochaic or dactylic verse.
Also Known As
Truncated trimeter Incomplete trimeter Catalectic trimeter Short-foot trimeter Beginning-clipped trimeter Headless three-foot dactylic Opening-truncated three-measure verse
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